GOLDSBORO, N.C. — Goldsboro native and professional basketball player Coby White returned to his hometown Saturday as the Coby White Family Foundation brought young people and families together for its Youth Giveback Community Day.
Held at the Goldsboro Family YMCA, the free event offered an afternoon of basketball, art, music, wellness activities, food, supplies and giveaways. The community day also featured a “Real Talk” mental health discussion designed to create an open and supportive space for young people.
The event was about more than sports. It provided local youth with opportunities to connect, express themselves and learn about resources that can support their emotional, physical and personal well-being.
During an interview surrounding the event, White emphasized the importance of returning to the community that helped shape him and using his platform to create opportunities for the next generation.
The Goldsboro event reflected the central mission of the Coby White Family Foundation: helping Black and Brown youth develop what the organization describes as lasting “mental wealth.”
The foundation works to support the next generation through holistic mental health resources, equitable opportunities and creative empowerment. Its programs are built around three primary areas—resources, education and culture.
Through those areas, the foundation seeks to improve access to mental health support and nutritious food, provide education about mental wellness, nutrition and financial literacy, and help young people discover their talents through sports, art and other creative experiences.
The foundation’s work is also deeply connected to the White family’s Goldsboro roots and the values instilled by Coby White’s late father, Donald White. The family continues to follow the principle, “To whom much is given, much is required,” by using its success to serve others and invest in young people.
The Youth Giveback Community Day was part of the foundation’s Weekend of Fun, which continued Sunday with the Coby White Basketball ProCamp at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Organizers described the weekend as two days centered on young people, community, wellness, opportunity and giving back.
For White and his family, the Goldsboro event represented an opportunity to come home, connect with local youth and demonstrate that success can be used to create positive change far beyond the basketball court.
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