Back-to-school event held at H.V. Brown
By John Joyce
Published in News on August 26, 2015 1:46 PM
Motorcycle engines revved one after another and then whined down East Elm Street.
From under a pavilion, the DJ pumped music into the park.
The two sounds mixed to accompany the children laughing in a bouncy castle a hundred yards away; the urban orchestra punctuated by the thump, thump, thump of a basketball being pounded into the paint under the rim at H.V. Brown park in Goldsboro Saturday afternoon.
Only the swish of the ball passing through the net went unheard.
Three motorcycle clubs -- The Hit Squad, Carolina Heat and the I Refuse Ryderz -- came together with other social clubs and members of the Little Washington community Saturday for a back to school celebration and supplies drive at H.V. Brown park.
Organizers said the event had more to do with bringing the community together than it did with supplying paper and pens to children. Some kids, however, lack the basic necessities due to their family's economic situation and therefore the school supplies were considered a blessing.
Hit Squad president Patrick Baker, of Kinston, said communities there face similar issues. Poverty is something he endured personally growing up.
"It's just as bad. You grew up not having a lot of stuff. Your parents did what they had to do to get it," he said.
Bags and bags of pens, pencils, paper, backpacks, rulers and paste line the picnic tables in the park. All of the supplies came in the form of donations or were purchased with money earned from previous fund raisers held by the motorcycle clubs.
"We would like to do more. The only problem we had last year was that we ran out of (supplies,)" I Refuse president Fred Marks said.
"If we knew we were going to have -- say $500 -- then we could expand to the other neighborhoods," he added.
More than 150 people turned out last year and more than 200 were expected to attend Saturday, organizers said. Next year the groups plan to seek sponsorship from citizens and community businesses so they might reach more kids in need.
Simone Taylor, a community volunteer, attended Saturday's event. She said she also helped out at a similar event held in the Grand at Day Circle -- a housing community in Goldsboro formerly known as Courtyard -- were a fun day was held to bring kids in the community together prior to returning to school.
In addition to the motorcycle clubs, Mrs. Taylor said the Goldsboro High School alumni is coming together to create more events in low-income communities to try to help bring an end to some of the violence and property crime that has been going on in the city.
"This is not a one-time event. This is a movement so we can bring the community together.
She said in spite of all the other things going on in the community -- the shootings, people getting killed or being robbed -- she personally wants the kids to see that there is something more to life.
"Other than the violence and the drugs and the gangs, we want them to know that there is a better life for them but they have to start fits with education," Mrs. Taylor said.
Goldsboro resident Barbara Worrell, who has five children of her own going back to school Monday, said she was glad to attend the event.
"I have two, one who is transitioning to high school. He is over here know playing with this crowd so he can get to know them," she said.
Her son, Michael Kinsey, 14, is a rising freshman headed to Goldsboro High School this year. Taking a break from the half court pick-up game going on, he said the celebration in the park allowed him to communicate with people he might not otherwise have had the chance to meet.
And he liked the motorcycles. He said he has ridden on a Yamaha before, but he could not remember the model.
The former Dillard Middle School student's eyes grew wide when asked whether he was ready to make the jump to high school.
Kinsey kept his answer short before turning and jogging back onto the ball court.
"Yep."