Bishop Tony R Caldwell
Biography
Bishop Tony R Caldwell grew up here in Kansas City, Missouri off of 43rd and Cleveland and went to Paseo High School, where he played football and ran track. He was one of the fastest in the quarter-mile in the state of Missouri, and an outstanding outside linebacker in football. At a very young age he got married, while he was still in high school. He would go to school by day, practice after school sports, go to work in the evening and take care of his children until the wee hours of the night. Because of him working like this around the clock, he developed a high tolerance for lack of sleep and strenuous work.
As a senior in high school, he started a construction company. He started buying houses himself while he was still in high school. Later on in life, this experience would help him start his own empire at an early age. To date, he owns over 300 pieces of property throughout Kansas City, along with several different corporations that he uses to fund his community work.
His parents were heavy into the community, helping people, working with children and adoption and the church. His father owned several construction companies, a trucking company and a real estate firm. His mother worked as a cook making pastries in an Italian restaurant, where Caldwell was exposed to a different culture and a way of life from the Italians and one became is godfather. He grew up in a small Church where his mother and father attended and preached. Bishop Caldwell himself preached his first sermon at the age of eight and was ordained at the age of 11 years old. He continued to preach the word of God, but he was also taught to live it…that how you treat others and what you do in the community, God looks at the most. This is what’s molded him to do what he does today for others in the community.
After going to college and playing Pro-Football he went on to move to Arizona, Texas and California, where he became very successful and started a company called Superior Foods. Over the next 20 years, he established churches in Arizona, California and Texas that have grown into mega-churches and large ministries that feed thousands, house hundreds and touch the lives of both our senior citizens and our youth trying to find their way. He has started programs not just in Kansas City, but in other states and other countries that are still operating today. In the area that he goes into, he strives for success and it changes for the betterment for all. Unity in the community has always been what drives him, from day one.
Let’s take a look at some of the things locally that he has established and funded himself:
Community safe houses are redevelopment for regrowth; a place where youth, single adults and families can go in different neighborhoods. Places where they can always get food, good advice, job opportunities, and age-appropriate activities, allowing each to better utilize community resources. These repurposed houses offer computer labs, libraries, clothing (for daily comfort and for job interviews), pantries, cooking classes, life skill classes, job training, literacy classes and Vocational-Technical training to equip our community for their own success. Each bedroom in one of these houses may be converted for different activities to best utilize space, as these workrooms may become an overnight shelter for families in need.
At one time he had over 42 safe houses scattered around Kansas City. One of these safe houses was in jeopardy of closing its doors. To bring awareness to the issue and raise funds to keep the doors open, (before GoFundMe existed),
Bishop Caldwell went up on the roof for 7 days and 7 nights without food or water, in the middle of an icy winter. He did what he set out to do and kept the doors open. His achievements are the stuff of news stories:
His organizations sponsored three-on-three basketball tournaments between gangs, as an alternative to them shooting it out in the streets. To work things out, they shot baskets instead of bullets.
His organizations put volunteer PeaceKeepers on buses hampered by violence, and kept those routes running when others were cut.
He organized toy giveaways to relieve parents’ worry, giving away over 6,000 toys each Christmas right here in Kansas City.
He organized the community to object to, and reject, the removal of traffic lights around schools in the Third District.
In a food desert, his organizations have shared semi-trucks of food, meats and produce every day of the week with the hungry.
And most importantly, he looks for the missing each and every day, for people no one else is looking for, missing children and women who deserve to be found and brought home safely.
His resume as an activist and organizer reads like a Who’s Who of Kansas City:
Stop The Killing, The Peacekeepers, Community United, Loving Hands, Eternal Life Church and Family Life Center, Community United Services, Neighborhood and Community Services, The Underground Railroad, KC Second Chance Program, Save The Children, KEY Program, Caldwell and Associates, Caldwell Foundation, C & A Development, Caldwell College Scholarship Fund, Man Up Program, Women of Destiny, Friends Of Construction, Women Of Worth, Building A Better Tomorrow Program, Today’s Youth Is Tomorrow’s World, God’s Will Program, Agape Love House, TRC Communications, Project New Neighbor, Vineyard Safehouse, Summer In The City. Take Back Our City One Block At A Time, Home Link, KC At-Risk Program, Summer Feed The Kids, Feed The Community, KanGang Community Center, Caldwell Community Grant, Seniors First Program, Community Activist Aftercare Program, The Alternative-Put Down The Guns And Pick Up The Gloves Int, Hands Across The River “ Anti-crime and Human & Sexual Trafficking Task Force, The Justice And Dignity Center, The Justice And Dignity Coalition, People Helping People’s Program, Helping Hands Of KC, Caldwell Foundation For Autistic and Downs Syndrome Children.
These are just some of the companies, organizations and programs that Bishop Caldwell has started, still up and running today, mostly funding them himself.
I know you’re asking yourself like many of us have, how does he feed hundreds every day, take care of the homeless and provide for the seniors, even at times paying the taxes on their houses so they don’t get sold on the courtroom steps. From buying cars for single parents to get back and forth to work, sending kids to college, to helping all those in need, every day he’s there.
Walking to Jefferson City, 150 mi from Kansas City, so people could keep their food stamps, for lighter prison sentences and expungement of criminal records, and for Medicaid expansion. For these results, he walked down to Jefferson City to hand the petition to the governor and the speaker of the House. Where does it all come from, and how does he get the energy to keep going?
He even went to jail as a part of that effort, along with the Medicaid 23, fighting united for that Medicaid expansion and our community’s right to health care. What drives him to do all of this, day in and day out, after all the haters’ opposition, attempts on his life, plots to destroy him and all of the slanderous remarks? Where does it all come from, and how does he get the energy to keep going?
Because he keeps going, keeps bouncing back. He suffers from stage 4 cancer, every day in pain… but he doesn’t give up. What keeps a man like this going? This is his life.
Stage 4 leukemia cancer and doctors have counted him out over nine times. He’s been in hospice five times and came back. He’s been hospitalized 23 times over the past 8 years. Doctors can’t figure out why he is still breathing, walking, talking, moving and alive. All of the research said that he should have been dead years ago. But not only has he not succumbed, he continues to push himself for the community and others. One can see him daily passing out food, or sitting down on a curb in the middle of a busy street to talk to someone homeless and in need. Many times, he’s even stepped in between two people with guns and talked them out of killing each other. I’ve seen him sleep on the ground with the homeless. I’ve seen him stay on top of a roof in the middle of the winter, and again in the middle of the hottest summer we’ve ever had. For 7 days at a time with no food or water, refusing to give up or calm down until he accomplishes his goals. I asked him why he does this? His answer was because God has called us to love each other even at our worst times. Extreme problems call for an extreme solution. He’ll look you in the eye and explain, “The Bible says what you do to the least of these, you do unto me,”, and quote scripture as command, “1st John 3:18…my little children, let’s not love in words, neither in tongue. But in deeds and in truth”
Ask him what that means. He’ll tell you, “Don’t talk about it, be about it.”
This explains why he does it.
How can he afford to keep such a massive organization running without asking for outside funding? Reading back over notes to look at what he actually does highlights another biblical quote he speaks. “What the enemy means for bad, God will change to good.”
Bishop Caldwell is a man that is comfortable hanging out with gang members on the streets, pastors in the pulpit, senators and congressmen in Washington and Jefferson City, and with the everyday person that just wants to live a productive and better life. He is a man that truly has a heart for the community and those in the city. He gives out second chances every day to those that really want to change their life and do better. But keep in mind that he has a street side to him; he sees when you try to run game and will eventually cut their game off. He has conducted himself as a humble, down-to-earth, loving, caring, true man of God. The last question asked of him was, why don’t you just hire people to do things? His answer to this, “If you just hire somebody, they’re not doing it from the heart. Find somebody that’s going to do it from the heart. And when you see them willing to do it from the heart without pay, then, and only then, do you reward them, because you will know the heart by the fruit that they bear.” Why doesn’t he just sit back and tell people what to do? His answer was, “I will never, ever, ever ask anybody to do something I won’t do myself and I show them, every day, that I work with them, beside them, and never above them. We are a team and a family.” As he gets up to walk away, he turns back to say: “God loves you, I love you, and there ain’t nothing, you can do about it.” Are always his closing words.
Now Let Me Give You The Cliff Notes On “ Bishop Tony R. Caldwell PhD.”
Bishop TR. Caldwell’s 3 words that we all live by at The Justice & Dignity Center:
COURAGE
COMMITMENT
UNITY
Founder & C.E.O. Bishop Tony R. Caldwell is an ordained Minister with a PhD in Psychology from Wexford University and a Master’s degree in Sociology from UCLA, Bishop Tony R. Caldwell has been directly involved with Kansas City’s modern development.
He was instrumental in the construction of East High School’s football program, still pledging a scholarship fund for East High School. Education is important to him, evidenced in his assistance to students filling out applications for college and financial aid. His success rate is impressive, with 53 students accepted into the college of their choice.
A strong man of God, Caldwell also champions the community, working with law enforcement to reclaim Kansas City’s streets for children and adults, founding transitional living programs through the New Community United KC, addressing violence, abuse and counseling needs.
His dedication is apparent in the organizations with whom he works, some created by him to meet a specific need: The Justice & Dignity Center, 90 Day Crisis House, Hands Across The River, Anti-Human Trafficking and Criminal Behavior Collaboration Task Force, Peacekeepers, Safe Place Program, Second Chance Program, Senior’s 1st, Feed The Community, The Alternative- Put Down The Gun Pick Up The Gloves, C.A.A.C. Community Activist After Care, Keys Youth Services, Stop the Killing KC, Feed KC Program, and advisor to the Mayor’s office on human resources and outreach programs.
Unfailingly patient and loving, Bishop Caldwell thinks nothing of personal sacrifice for the sake of his community. Whether living on a roof for a week to ensure funding for our transitional houses and community safe house, or listening to shared problems at community forums, Bishop Caldwell believes that the sheep must be fed. He is willing to do that work, no matter the cost. He is a man of integrity and patience, giving unselfishly to others. He goes above and beyond to help anybody and everybody in need.
He is an awesome God-fearing man, understanding and mindful of the needs of others. He founded Eternal Life Church for the community. Back in 1995, Eternal Life was birthed out of a little place in Charlie Parker Square that has now grown into eight locations throughout the United States, from Texas to Arizona, from New York to Kansas City. In 1997, there was an outcry through our city.
At that time, Bishop Caldwell started Community United, which kept growing with other organizations like the Peacekeepers, Loving Hands, Man Up Program, Second Chance, and many others. Based on these programs and organizations, many over the years have taken his ideas and format, duplicating them not only here in KC, but throughout the states. He is an apostle, always planting seeds of love and peace in our community.
He loves his community; he loves his kids (all kids are his), and he loves his coworkers. He is truly a family man. He tries to tease the kids that he doesn’t like them, but their standard response is, “But you love us!” Although he jokingly fires his volunteers all the time, he is teaching them all that, “while you may not like what a person does, you have to love the person.”
Whenever there’s a problem, he is there to lend a hand, with any group or organization that is for the betterment of Kansas City. Many have tried to tear him down, put him down, misuse, abuse and scandalize, but the Bible says “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” This is why he still stands today as a leader of leaders in our community.
“Today’s Youth Is Tomorrow’s World”
“Building a Better Tomorrow”
“The Justice & Dignity Center”
Bishop Tony R. Caldwell PhD.