Our Team

About The FounderĀ 

Calvin King III

Calvin King III is a local Chicago business consultant and accomplished playwright with over 30 completed works for the stage. Calvin was very active in theater and writing for the stage during college. After becoming a father, educator, and youth pastor his creative work began to naturally center itself around children and youth. He set out to find ways he could use entertainment in an educational way to help coach and mentor young people to become the absolute greatest version of themselves, one choice at a time. Serving as the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit Free Lunch Academy, Calvin has developed innovative teaching arts programs where children participate in their own learning and develop better social skills while having fun. Through mentoring his teaching artist staff and partnering with other organizations in the community, Calvin has made it a goal of the organization to eradicate bullying worldwide by October 1, 2025.

Inaugural Class

In 2012 Free Lunch Academy was conceived by a collective of innovative educators looking to effectively merge the worlds of education and entertainment thereby living the notion that The World Is Our Classroom!

Calvin King III

Buddy the Victim

Brittni Moore

K'Shelly the Bystander

SaLesha Mason

Dean Smiley

Calvin Evans

Billy the Bully

Class of 2020

Beginning in 2015 Free Lunch Academy became intentional about allowing, empowering and employing young adults throughout the community to further the mission and message of Free Lunch Academy in truly fresh and creative ways by transforming former program participants into professional performers and program facilitators.

Dion Wordlaw

Billy the Bully

Malik Milon

Buddy the Victim

Jalen Knight

Dean Smiley

Malik Milon

Step Dad

Lawanda Hollis

K'Shelly the Bystander

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Free Lunch Academy will Celebrate Buddying Worldwide by OCTOBER 1, 2025 560 Days 21 Hours 22 Minutes 48 Seconds