Who We Are
City Kids Adventures is a 501c3 organization located in San Antonio, Texas. The organization is led by Leon McNeil, a middle school teacher, who is also a well-regarded South Texas quail hunting guide. Leon’s partner and co-leader of the organization is his wife, Leticia McNeil, who is also a teacher. Their son, Lee Charles, has been involved in the program since he was a child. The McNeils have devoted much of their life, and certainly all of their spare time, to ensuring that City Kids Adventures continues to have a positive impact on the lives of inner-city children.
Read about Leon and Leticia in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine.
What We Do
- Provide non-traditional outdoor recreational opportunities for inner-city youth
- Introduce inner-city youth to a wide range of outdoor recreational activities including archery, camping, canoeing, freshwater, saltwater and offshore fishing, hiking, kayaking, open-water swimming, horseback riding and hunting
- Develop environmentally cognizant inner-city youth who are motivated to make a difference in the world in which we live
- Develop moral and ethical young men and women who have the intrinsic desire to become productive members of our society.
- Increase the number of inner-city youth involved in non-traditional outdoor recreational activities
- Promote a life-long work ethic by demonstrating our motto: “Hard Work Had Many Rewards!”
- Create awareness of different career options and stress the importance of pursuing higher education and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Encourage parental involvement in outdoor recreational activities
- Expose our youth to the world beyond their communities by organizing outdoor adventures across the country, coupled with college tours and exposure to a wide variety of career opportunities
Our History
City Kids Adventures formerly known as Camp Hawkeye, got its start in San Antonio in 1995 as an inner-city middle school project designed to increase participation in school athletics. Camping trips were used as an incentive to encourage students to avoid nonproductive behavior so that they could participate in school and athletics and also enjoy outdoor adventures.
Since 1995, City Kids Adventures has continued to grow and diversify. We introduced a youth hunting program in 1999 and a summer traveling program in 2000. Our summer travels have included trips from Alaska to Key West, and from New York City to Los Angeles. We’ve visited locations from Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon to Niagara Falls. Our campus visits have included the University of North Carolina, Duke, Yale, Harvard, UT and more.
Our program seeks to educate, mentor, support, and stay actively engaged with inner-city youth who otherwise will not have the opportunity to participate in meaningful non-traditional outdoor activities, while developing moral and ethical young people along the way.
Today, through partnerships with generous individuals, corporations and foundations, we are able to meet our mission. Our partners include the San Antonio Area Foundation, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF), and TPWF’s Stewards of the Wild young professional organization.
We’re proud that our program has touched the lives of hundreds of children since 1995. Many past participants stay in touch, and we’re overjoyed at the fulfilling lives and families that many of our past participants now enjoy. Many of our City Kids have gone on to college, have served in the military, are police officers, have successful careers, and many now have their own families with whom they are sharing their love of the outdoors. We are blessed!
