Fire Explorers bring home nine trophies, and pay their way
By John Joyce
Published in News on September 24, 2014 1:46 PM
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Goldsboro Fire Explorers K'nya Mathis, 16, Tyreick Hutcherson, 15, Ja-Quan Futrelle, 14, Icshon Nwachinemere, 20, Travis Sauls, 19, Devon Hatch, 17, Da-Vionta Staton, 17, and Ryan Swisher, 16, pose with their trophies inside the Ice Storm ice cream shop at 116 S. Center St. in Goldsboro. The business sponsored the Explorers' trip to a recent competition in Salisbury.
A helping hand from a local business -- and some hard work of their own -- has made a local Goldsboro youth group richer in more ways than one.
The Goldsboro Fire Explorers returned from a recent junior firefighters competition held in Salisbury with a bit of hardware -- OK, with a van load of hardware -- nine trophies in all.
Before they could attend the competition however, they needed to raise the money to get there.
"With the distance and them competing all day, we didn't want them to have to drive back after midnight all tired and sweaty, so we needed hotel rooms. We needed them for two nights," Assistant Fire Chief Lisa Johnson said.
She and Capt. Julian Whitney head up the Goldsboro Fire Explorers.
The youths were more than willing to do the work necessary to get themselves to the competition. They just needed some ideas.
That is where Yvonne Moore and Antonio Williams of Ice Storm came in.
The owners of the ice cream shop in downtown Goldsboro were looking for a way to help out some young people in the community.
After all, that was the reason they came to Goldsboro in the first place.
With successful locations in Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y., the business partners decided two years ago to return to Williams' native Goldsboro and give back. The business got off the ground and was instant hit, and Ms. Moore and Williams began to work with local youths offering entrepreneurial insights and mentoring.
Still, they wanted to do more.
And that's when they met the fire explorers.
"We sponsored their trip. We let them use our ice cream carts and lemonade stand. They set out to raise $600." Ms. Moore said.
They didn't. They raised $1,100.
She said the Explorers were raising money with car washes and other events and doing about $100 or so here and there. But when she saw the way they were working, she knew instantly what the young people were lacking -- that enthusiasm and pep she said have helped make her business successful.
By the time Ms. Moore said was done with the group, they were humming along. At a fundraiser outside of Sam's Club, they were helping customers with their bags, walking them to their cars, smiling the whole time and talking to people about what it is they do, and why.
"They basically came to us with a problem and we offered them a solution. We gave them sales tips and marketing tips, and they went out there and made it happen," Ms. Moore said.
And they made it happen at the competition, too.
Goldsboro Fire Explorers Post 1881 went into Salisbury as virtual unknowns and walked out with several first-place and third-place trophies in competitions such as the bucket brigade, the tug-o-war, the mystery competition and for the competition overall.
"We are elated. We are so proud of them. They proved that, when people say there is nothing good happening with the youths in Goldsboro, they proved them wrong," Ms. Moore said.
After the competition, the explorers, their sponsors and a few parents joined Ms. Moore and Williams at the Ice Storm for a celebration. The partners received a plaque and a team photo. The explorers and their mentors got a reward, too -- cake, ice cream and lemonade.
Customers who stopped by that night were thanked for coming, but were asked to return another time.
It was a special time to mark the achievements of a dozen young people from right here in Goldsboro.
And should the team's success really be a surprise? Not to the transplanted New Yorkers who have seen for themselves.
"Winners are made here," Williams said.