Kennon Adkinson has always wanted to help people in need but didn’t always have the means. Over the past decade, however, he has made up for lost time, dedicating both his time and financial support to a broad range of charities. Adkinson’s passion for community service made such an impression on his colleagues at Sonny’s BBQ that, in July 2020, they nominated him to be the company’s “Chief Kindness Officer.” And, as if juggling a full-time job and a dizzying array of other charitable pursuits weren’t enough, Adkinson also finds time to give back to his alma mater as a member of the UCF Rosen College Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board.
For all of these reasons and more, Adkinson was honored with the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from UCF’s College of Undergraduate Studies. Recipients of the award have demonstrated professional achievement, outstanding service and philanthropy, a lifelong devotion and loyalty to the university and have maintained the UCF Creed of integrity, scholarship, community, creativity and excellence.
Originally from Naples, Florida, Adkinson chose UCF because his sister already lived in the area and it was just the right distance away from home. Though he initially pursued a degree in elementary education, Adkinson found himself drawn to sociology, psychology and other subjects. He chose interdisciplinary studies as a major because it allows students to build an individualized academic path from over 7,000 possible area of study and minor combinations.
“I changed my major five times,” said Adkinson. “Then, I discovered that I could create a course of study that encompassed those subjects I was most interested in.”
Adkinson graduated from UCF in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with minors in Marketing, Hospitality Management and Psychology.
While his major may have changed, one thing that has remained constant for Adkinson has been his employment in restaurants and catering.
“I started working in a restaurant at age 13,” he explained. “And I’ve been working in food service pretty much ever since.”
After ten years handling marketing and catering for a local chain of delicatessens, Adkinson joined Sonny’s BBQ as catering manager in 2013. Since 2018, he has served as senior director of catering at iServ BBQ, a Sonny’s BBQ franchisee. In that role, Adkinson covers 28 stores throughout Central Florida and Southern Georgia and leads a team of caterers that serves meals to over 300,000 guests per year.
That opportunity to connect with so many people over such a large area, combined with his love of community service, made Adkinson a natural choice to serve as the restaurant chain’s Chief Kindness Officer, or CKO. As CKO, Adkinson is responsible for inspiring and encouraging kindness in the communities Sonny’s serves, as well as collecting and sharing stories of benevolence from Sonny’s customers and employees.
“I’ve always been passionate about helping others,” Adkinson explained. “Sonny’s provides me with the ability, financial backing and resources to be able to help on a broader scale.”
Adkinson’s tenure as CKO started at a time of unprecedented need, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic made the level of need more acute for those who were already struggling, Adkinson says he also witnessed many people seeking assistance for the first time.
“There were just a lot of people saying, ‘I can’t do it myself anymore, I need help,’” explained Adkinson. “More people saw what we could do during the pandemic and familiarized themselves with the kind of help that’s available, and that’s made them more comfortable with asking for help now.”
More recently, Adkinson and Sonny’s BBQ helped support victims of a different kind of calamity.
“We do a lot of disaster relief,” said Adkinson. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, we were handing out 1,200 meals a day to first responders and anyone that needed food.”
The visibility they gained from providing assistance during both the pandemic and the hurricane is helping Adkinson fulfill his CKO mission.
“That naturally puts it out there that we are available,” he explained. “The more visible you are, the more people know they can come ask for help. It’s spreading like wildfire.”
And it’s not just individuals who are approaching Sonny’s and Adkinson for assistance.
“Personally, I’ve received a lot of requests just because of having the CKO title,” Adkinson said. “I’ve had numerous organizations reach out to me on a personal level asking for help. That’s how I got involved with Blessings in a Backpack.”
Blessings in a Backpack is a nationwide organization that fills the “weekend gap” for students who are fed during the week through free school meal programs. Adkinson is now a member of the Orlando chapter’s board of directors, and he and Sonny’s BBQ are working with a handful of corporate partners to grow the charity’s footprint in Central Florida.
“Currently, we are working with 40 schools and are providing students with food so they can have meals over the weekends,” explained Adkinson. “We’re feeding around 5,520 students in the area and are continuing to expand the program throughout the region.”
As CKO, Adkinson was also approached by Best Buddies International. It is the world’s largest organization dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“Best Buddies is a wonderful organization that transforms of the lives of those with IDD,” said Adkinson. “For the last two years, I’ve participated as a Champion of the Year. I was honored to work with my buddy Wils. Together, we raised more than more than $50k for the organization.”
Adkinson also works with the Orlando chapters of the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association.
He feels grateful that his CKO role has spurred charities to reach out to him. But also understands that getting started with volunteerism and philanthropy isn’t that easy for most people. For them, Adkinson offers this advice:
“You have to seek it out, it’s not just going to come to you,” he said. “Spend time around like-minded people who want to do good for others. That will help you figure out what you’re passionate about, then you can connect with an organization that works in that space.”
Adkinson’s ultimate goal is to start a nonprofit that does just that. In a recent Orlando Business Journal profile, Adkinson described this future organization as “a landing place for resources, tools and people to come together to do good and spread kindness.”
For now, though, Adkinson’s advice is simple: “I always tell people, if you have an idea, if you want to help or there’s an organization you want to be a part of, come ask Sonny’s BBQ.”