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Meet Kamry Selley and Desmond Delk of College Care Club in Southwest Atlanta

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kamry Selley and Desmond Delk.

Kamry and Desmond, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Kamry Selley and I am the founder of the College Care Club. Growing up in Montgomery, AL, my collegiate spirit started at an early age and followed me throughout my entire life. I thrive off the memories of my mom taking me to all of her alma mater’s games (Alabama State University), parades and alumni events. From then on, I couldn’t get enough of the thrill associated with a great football game or homecoming event. At the age of five, I even asked my mom if I could suit up and play football after watching my brother win a game, and although the response to that was a resounding no, embracing the full spirit of schools didn’t stop there. Growing up, Wikipedia was an easy go-to site to learn anything I needed to know about anybody and anything.

So, in my free time, I would search the history of different universities all over the U.S. with the major emphasis on the biggest schools close to home – Alabama, Alabama State, Tuskegee, Auburn and more. It wasn’t just learning about the school, but understanding the intricate details of a university’s culture and how they came about is what intrigued me. I even accepted challenges to test my ability to name any team mascot of any NCAA school right on the spot to exemplify my undying love for collegiate spirit all over. I experienced my own true collegiate connection once I attended Michigan State University.

After graduating from graduate school at Auburn University, I began working in Corporate America at Texas Instruments and felt the separation anxiety creep in immediately, so every chance I got, I would join the company’s recruiting team just to get a chance to connect with college students across the U.S. And rightfully so, every casual Friday was pridefully dedicated to my favorite schools. This minimized my nostalgia until I realized how limited my collegiate collection was. Randomly, one day after seeing other subscription boxes, I was immediately inspired as I realized that there were likely many others like me. I had a real opportunity to bring collegiate spirit to the doorsteps of alumni and fans like myself, as well as feed my passion for helping college students all over through the College Care Club.

After finishing up a full business plan, I realized I needed a business partner that was just as passionate about school spirit as myself. I instantly thought of Dr. Desmond Delk, who attended graduate school with me at Auburn University, and asked if he would join me on this mission.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has not been smooth, but it has not been solely comprised of potholes either. At times, it has been difficult locating the right contacts at institutions to make connections. However, we continue to see progress. In trying to stay abreast of collegiate trends, we have to spend a lot of time on the road at different colleges. At times, we are stretched to capacity, but it is worth the experience. We have been to at least a dozen colleges and have gotten to immerse ourselves in several homecoming celebrations. It’s been fun and rewarding, but also physically taxing. However, through each of these visits, we are able to build partnerships all while exploring the full cultural essence of each institution.

Getting our foot in the door of the collegiate licensing world has been a hurdle; as such, finding products is both tedious and rewarding. We have done so much research to make sure we find products that fit each school’s true spirit and culture. For example, finding quality, authentic and unique HBCU gear has not been easy, but we make sure we vet out multiple vendors to ensure that we are providing a product that connects with our diverse audience. On top of that, making sure the vendors are licensed and providing authentic gear is one of our top priorities. And of course, trying to figure out which schools to bring out next is always tough since everyone wants to be represented, and we, too, want to represent them!

College Care Club – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
College Care Club is your one-stop-shop for all things collegiate. We deliver quarterly care packages, inspired by the spirit of each institution. Each Spirit Box is packed full of collegiate spirit, including licensed university products, memorabilia, and local goodies. Whether you’re a proud parent, current student, alumni or fan, College Care Club has something for you to show your school spirit!

What sets us apart from other companies is what also makes us proud. We create Spirit Boxes with each college in mind. We don’t simply create care packages filled with delicious snacks. We curate quarterly College Care Boxes filled with collegiate gear, memorabilia, and fan must-haves. And in some boxes, you will find custom authentic items that you won’t just find at your campus bookstore. We are proud that we provide a unique product that helps radiate the spirit of already awesome colleges and universities– whether big or small. Likewise, to keep the connection strong, we partner with many of the schools we represent. It’s usually with a student organization or alumni group where part of the proceeds from each box goes directly back to the institution in hopes of supporting the academic pursuits for many students.

What were you like growing up?
Since Kamry was able to share who she was, I thought it would be most appropriate to introduce myself. I am Desmond W. Delk, co-founder of College Care Club and a native of Southwest Atlanta. As a resident of the Adams Park community, I completed my formal education in the Atlanta Public Schools system, graduating from Benjamin E. Mays High School (Class of 2005). As a youth, I mainly participated in baseball and the band. I played through my teen years at Adams Park (Newark Eagles and Birmingham Black Barons). Looking back, I was fortunate to play at a park that named its teams after the Negro Leagues. It was around that time in my life I began to understand the power of sports and the connection that people have with their favorite college and professional teams.

I attended Morehouse College and graduated in 2009 with a degree in Health and Physical Education. I always wanted to teach and I loved sports, so that’s why I chose my major. For additional training, I completed my master’s in Physical Education at Auburn University. This led to me beginning my teaching career at Savannah State University. During the Fall of 2011, I was attending Spelhouse (homecoming of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges), and I met a young man who was selling his new Morehouse College-themed children’s book. I eventually bought Hello, Maroon Tiger, although it was homecoming and my idea of a good time did not involve holding a children’s book.

However, that encounter opened many doors. Several months following homecoming, I decided to read it. At the end of the book, there was a list of every university that had a children’s book published by the company. What I noticed was that there was only one Historically Black College or University (HBCU) listed. Instantly, I thought, “Hey, I should do this for Savannah State.” I got in contact with the author, Earl Anthony Cooper, and inquired about the publishing process. He gave some great advice and the rest was history. My student at the time, Morgan Adams, was a prolific drawer, so I recruited him for the illustrations.

The collaboration resulted in my first book; I Love My SSU!. I wrote the book to allow readers to learn about Savannah State University specifically, and HBCUs in general. I simply wanted to provide a permanent piece of literature that would excite children about college, and positively reflect SSU. The book was officially published in November 2012. Since then, it has been my mission to highlight the excellence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. So, it was an easy response to my good friend when I was approached about an opportunity to promote colleges through an even more exciting avenue. Therefore, I partnered with Kamry to provide students and fans a dose of school spirit at their front doors.

Pricing:

  • Student Quarterly Subscriptions (Four boxes per year): $49.99 per quarter or $189.96 per year (includes one box every three months). What comes in the box: One to three licensed items, snack assortment, & personal message (if included)
  • Student Individual Boxes (One box): $49.99 one-time payment (includes a single box). What comes in the box: One to three licensed items, snack assortment, & personal message (if included)
  • Alumni/Fan Quarterly Subscriptions: $59.99 per quarter or $229.96 per year (includes one box every three months). What comes in the box: These boxes include at least 4 licensed items of your most coveted collegiate school such as licensed gear, memorabilia and fan must-haves.
  • Alumni/Fan Individual (One box): $69.99 one-time payment (includes a single box). What comes in the box: These boxes include at least 4 licensed items of your most coveted collegiate school such as licensed gear, memorabilia and fan must-haves.

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