Orlando Burks stood in a Birmingham gym, circled by kids aged 12, 13 and 14. He handed each of them a part of a rope that he stretched around the circle and told them to hold it high above their heads.

As the kids struggled to keep their arms straight, Burks mentioned how one 12-year-old he had seen before in the gym had just shot another 12-year-old to death. He explained to the kids that if they don’t want to end up on the wrong path, they need to support each other.

“If one falls, the other falls,” Burks said.

“Hold the rope” is just one of the many methods Burks, a Selma native, uses to teach kids the importance of hard work, brotherhood and staying on the right path in life. The Selma High graduate’s work in helping young people succeed earned him the NAACP’s Julian Bond empowerment award earlier this month at the NAACP’s Community Service Awards program in Birmingham.

Burks said he always knew he wanted to work with kids, but he didn’t realize it right away. Before Burks became the youth director at the Martin Luther King Jr. Parks and Recreation Department in Birmingham, he had kids over his house in Selma to play basketball, never wasting a moment to teach and mentor them along the way.

“I never knew it, but that was my calling,” Burks said. “I do it naturally.”

Burks grew up in a household with two parents who taught him how to be successful, but he quickly learned that many children he coached did not have that same luxury.

“I was blessed to have two good parents who had me on a solid foundation, and a lot of kids I deal with, some of these kids have never seen their fathers,” Burks said.

Burks said he once was driving six children to a game, and the children talked about their fathers spending time with each other. Soon, Burks caught on that all six of the children’s fathers were in prison.

When Burks saw how many kids grew up in single-parent households, it only added to his desire to be a father figure to many kids who grew up without someone to teach them how to be a man.

“When I started working in the tough neighborhoods in Birmingham and seeing how nobody really cared about these kids, that’s when the passion really started flowing,” Burks said.

Burks’ parents, Joe and Carrie, live in Selma and made the trip to Birmingham Dec. 6 to see Burks earn his award. Burks describes his father Joe, who survived a stroke in March, as his hero.

“He can’t do a lot of stuff he used to do, but he’s still there to motivate me,” Burks said as he fought back tears.

Burks was recently inducted into the Miles College Sports Hall of Fame and had dreams of playing in the NFL. While he didn’t end up playing professional football, he believes he is doing something much more valuable now.

Burks coached Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe and Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Mario Addison when both of them were younger. With 16 years working with the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Department, he continues to go to work each day inspiring each kid to be the next superstar.

Carrie said the success of her son has been due to his passion for working with kids, something she noticed in him from a young age.

“It’s not a job for him because he likes doing it,” Carrie said.

As Burks addressed a group of kids in the gym with the rope in their hands, he spoke with conviction, determined to not let the kids give up on their dreams. His father didn’t give up, and Burks doesn’t plan to either.

“We as brothers, the rope symbolizes hope and we have to save each other, so when you’re holding the rope, you hold it tight,” Burks said.