Elyria nonprofit Save Our Children has appointed Elyria native Chase Farris as its executive director.

Farris, 27, is a 2011 graduate of Elyria High School and obtained both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Ohio State University. In addition, Farris played professional football as an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots.

Save Our Children runs an after-school program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, serving up to 80 children in Elyria Schools.

Its mission is to change lives by improving literacy, cultivate leadership skills through mentoring and promote academic excellence among the at-risk youth in our community.

Farris said that being born and raised in Elyria, going to Elyria High School, being able to go to college and play professional football is what made him want to come back home and pursue this new role.

“I felt that it was only right that I get the chance to come back and pretty much effect change and be the change that I want to see in the community,” Farris said. “Effect change in the lives of these children, and hopefully continue to uplift them and push them forward in the direction that they want to go and let them know the sky's the limit as long as they do things the right way and work hard.”

He said that he is looking forward to meeting and being around the children and to establishing relationships and partnerships within the community.

“I want to rally as much as possible with the parent leadership and move the program in the right way, which is forward and try to grow it as much as possible,” he said.

Board of trustees member Joy Laird said she is excited for Farris to get in there and get working.

“He’s not a product of SOC, but he’s a product of Elyria Schools and his mother instilled great values in him,” Laird said. “I’ve only talked to him a couple times, but you can tell that he has a lot of good values that he can pass on to these children and enrich their lives.”

It was his mother indeed, as Farris said, seeing her work hard to make sure ends were met and that he and his younger sister didn’t go without is what made him continue to strive.

“Seeing her get up and go to work every day, I feel like that instilled that hard work inside of me and at the same time just watching the struggle,” he said. “It kind of made me hungry for more. Being able to get away and go to college, it kind of solidified the fact that I wanted more for myself and for my family.”

Laird said Farris has strengths that can be brought to Save Our Children.

“He worked hard and achieved and I think that sends a great message to the kids, is that you can work hard and achieve,” she said. “If you're willing to work hard and put in the effort, great things can happen.”

Elyria Schools Superintendent Ann Schloss said that she is excited and looking forward to working with Farris.

“Number one, the fact that Save Our Children is a great partner with Elyria Schools; they’re all what I call Elyria’s kids,” Schloss said. “Anytime we can get one of our own, one of our alum back in Elyria to work with our own students, that’s a plus plus for me, a win — someone with Chase’s character and work ethic and the fact that he wants to be in Elyria and wants to work with Elyria’s students and families.”

Schloss said that she and Farris have a lot of the same ideas as far as helping and reaching more students.

“I really see this being a great partnership, a continued partnership,” she said. “We’ve always had such a good partnership with SOC. I’m really looking forward to it. Chase is an outstanding young man. I was kind of on the same path as he was. I came up through Elyria Schools and I couldn’t be more proud of our city and being a part of Elyria Schools. It’s kind of a dream job and I think he looks at it the same way. I was a principal of his for a year when I started at Oakwood. He’s a class act and I couldn’t be more proud of what he stands for and to be partnering with him.”

He said that his experience playing football and balancing his academics has helped prepare him for his new executive director role.

Farris said that for as long as he’s known, he has been playing team sports. He said football is the ultimate team sport, especially playing offense.

He listed hard work, determination, time management and leadership as other skills that he has learned and will use.

He said ultimately with his new role, it’s about him being able to contribute.

“Just being able to pay it forward and pave the way for those to follow in hopes that they can surpass what I’ve been able to do and become greater,” Farris said.

Farris is no stranger to helping others. Stacie Starr, director of SOC’s teen program Elyria Teens Achieve Success, said that she’d have Farris speak to her junior high boys’ mentor groups that she led when he was in high school himself.

“To me, I think it's a beautiful story that he’s able to come back home,” Starr said. “I always knew his passion was working with kids and the youth and really trying to develop them and give back. The fact that he is going to be coming back and working and showing and being an example of what a successful young Black man could be for our youth? We couldn’t ask for anyone better.”

“What we hear a lot of, especially with educated Black men, is that they’ll go away and won't come back. But here you have someone who is coming back and wants to do that and to be connected to SOC, the school district. It’s a beautiful connection.”

Farris said that there is going to be a change for the better coming.

“At the end of the day, we want to rally this community,” he said. “From the parents to the children, to the small businesses to the school district, we want everyone to become one and push for a better Elyria.”

Contact Brookie Madison at (440) 329-7148 or at bmadison@chroniclet.com.