Keontrai Floyd was honored Wednesday for his selfless act of providing $2,000 of Christmas gifts to children at the New Haven shelter that once helped his family when they were homeless.
A New Haven teen who experienced homelessness as a child was honored by members of the city’s board of alders for his giving spirit.
On Wednesday, Alder Carmen Rodriguez, Caroline Tanbee Smith and Frank Redente gave Keontrai Floyd an official Board of Alders citation for his toy contribution to the homeless shelter, New Reach.
"I want to thank God for keeping me on track and keeping my eyes on the prize,” Floyd said.
As a teenager who experienced homelessness for eight years, Floyd said he felt compelled to give back during the holiday break.
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"I felt like I did my younger self a favor, to go get those kids Christmas gifts, something my younger self would've wanted, so as I did that I was closing a chapter in my life,” Floyd said.
Floyd gifted $2,000 worth of toys to New Reach. He said he chose New Reach as his way of saying thank you, as that was the shelter that helped Floyd’s mother and younger siblings.
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During Wednesday’s celebration, Daniel Hunt, one of Floyd’s mentors, congratulated him for his act of kindness.
“This afternoon is all about recognizing Keontrai and the positive impact he has made on the community,” Hunt said.
At the podium, Floyd’s mother and father also shared words of gratitude towards the community and their son.
"I made a prayer a long time ago that if I had one more chance in life to correct my wrongs, this is it right here, this is him,” Floyd’s father, Tyrese Brown, said.
Floyd’s message to New Haven youth is to do the best you can do.
“Make the winning move, and if it's not the winning move, make the best decisions that make it the winning move. If you can’t get a job right now because of your age, what you can do is get good grades, learn new skills, do things to help you to be prepared in life," he said.
