STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For Curtis High School grads Kevin Thompson, Eric Garvin and Derek Alvez, what started as mid-1970s camaraderie on the track and field team grew into a life-long "brotherhood."
These close friends share a common goal: To make a difference for others in an act of gratitude for the men and women who helped them through hardship.
For 40 years, they all worked on independent projects post-graduation, until both Alvez and Garvin finally joined Thompson's 10-year-old Cross World Africa, Inc. (CWA).
Thompson, Garvin and Alvez serve as founder/executive director, president and board member, respectively, of the non-profit organization dedicated to opportunity-based outreach in impoverished African villages and communities in Kenya.