What started as a father’s effort to keep up with his children has grown into a community movement centered around three simple principles: get up, get out, and get active. For Frankie Sutton, Founder of 3G Activities, the organization’s mission began long before community giveaways, park cleanups, or youth sponsorships. It began with exhaustion. 

Several years ago, Sutton found himself struggling with depression and the weight that came with it. A lifelong Bakersfield resident and father of three, he remembered feeling tired, even while doing something as simple as playing with his children.

That realization became a turning point.

“I was tired all the time, and I wanted to change that,” Sutton said. “I wanted to be able to be there for my kids and be active with my kids and keep up with my kids.”

Together, Sutton and his children started making small changes. They went on hikes, rode bikes and spent more time outdoors and moving as a family. Over time, he lost 100 pounds.

That journey would eventually change not only his own life, but the lives of families throughout Kern County. The transformation caught the attention of friends, family members, and even strangers who had watched the family’s activities online.

“A lot of friends from high school, family members, even total strangers would reach out and ask how I got my kids so active and involved in these activities,” Sutton said.

His answer eventually became the foundation for an organization. Get up, get out, and get active. The phrase was simple, memorable, and rooted in his own experience as a father trying to improve his health while spending more time with his children.

Soon after, 3G Activities was born.

Today, the organization’s mission extends well beyond physical activity. Through youth events, community partnerships, and volunteer projects, 3G Activities works to connect families with resources while creating opportunities for young people to become involved in their communities. 

Sutton stated that school was not always a priority while growing up. Family challenges and personal struggles made it difficult to see a path forward through education, he said. He went on to say that experience now shapes how he connects with young people and families throughout the community.

Sutton often reminds children that making a difference does not always require a college degree, a title, or a certain career path.

“It just took caring,” Sutton said. “Being an individual that cares and wants to see the best for our community and for our families and our youth overall. And the consistency behind it is where the growth came from.”

He hopes young people understand that community leadership can take many forms. 

“You don’t have to be a doctor. You don’t have to be a lawyer. You don’t have to be any of those things to make a difference in somebody’s life,” Sutton said. “You just have to care enough to show up and do something about it.” 

What started with bike rides and family hikes has since grown into an organization with a packed community calendar.

Sutton said 3G Activities now hosts four events each month. One focuses on sports and recreation. Another centers on community giveaways. The organization also organizes regular cleanup efforts at local parks and volunteers with other nonprofits and community organizations throughout the region.

One of the organization’s most visible projects has been its work caring for and maintaining local parks, creating opportunities for youth and families to take ownership of community spaces while building pride in their neighborhoods.

3G Activities also regularly helps connect families with food resources, community programs, and support services offered by partner organizations. Rather than limiting the organization’s focus to a single issue or population, Sutton said he wants 3G Activities to remain flexible enough to respond wherever help is needed most.

“If they’re in need of food, if they’re in need of any type of services, connecting them to the right individuals and organizations is something that we stand on very heavily now,” Sutton said.

Building the organization, however, has not come without sacrifice.

Sutton said much of the organization’s early work was funded through local sponsorships, donations and his own personal finances.

At one point, he emptied his savings and cashed out his 401(k) to continue growing the organization. The decision, he said, came down to faith in the mission and faith in the community.

While the organization continues to expand, Sutton said the moments that stay with him most are not major milestones or recognition from the public. Instead, they involve his children.

He recounted seeing children recognize his sons and daughter at community events and hearing stories about the impact the organization had on local families.

For him, the greatest reward has been watching his own children embrace the values that inspired the organization in the first place.

“My daughter wants to hop out of the car just to go give leftovers or her chicken nuggets to the homeless,” Sutton said. “That right there, it feels amazing.”

Those moments, he said, remind him that the work extends beyond events or programs. It’s about creating a culture of service that can continue into the next generation.

“What we’re doing now truly matters,” Sutton said. “It will continue even long after I’m gone through the legacy that we are creating now.”

Sutton also shared that recently, 3G Activities signed a lease for its first office space, a milestone he hopes will eventually lead to an even larger vision for the organization.

His long-term goals include a youth gym, classrooms, workshops, summer programming and scholarships for local students. The organization has also begun supporting local youth through sports and educational opportunities and hopes to continue expanding those efforts in the years ahead.

Despite becoming the public face of a growing community organization, Sutton said he still feels uncomfortable with attention and recognition.

Helping others, he said, was always the point.

“I really don’t like being the center of attention,” Sutton said. “I just like to be able to give back. I just like to be able to help.”