When Quinton Coples was young, he dreamed of giving back to his community. He’ll have that unique opportunity again beginning Friday when the former
“He always talked about giving back to the community, so this is his way of doing it,” longtime friend DaMarcus Quinerly said. “He likes to see smiles on kids’ faces when they come out to have a good time.”
At the inaugural event in 2012, the event essentially consisted of a cookout and some activities in one afternoon in and around
“I wanted to do more this year,” Coples said. “Last year was a great turnout but I wanted to make sure I spent more time this year giving back, branching out to every part of the city and touching every person I can. I want us to have fun, but I want it to be educational, as well.”
The weekend of events kicks off Friday morning at the Teacher’s Memorial gymnasium,
The organization’s director, Bill Ellis, said his parks department is excited to be a part of the Quinton Coples Community Weekend.
“Quinton’s always been a great young man, from high school through college and now into the pro’s,” Ellis said. “He’s always cared about
At 6 p.m., Friday, a professional networking event at the Community Council of the Arts,
Saturday morning, there’ll be a football and basketball camp hosted by Coples and friends at
Tickets for those games are $8 for adults and $5 for students; children under 5 will be admitted free.
Following the games is an after party at Olivia’s at Frenchman’s Creek; tickets are $10 for that event. According to Kurtis Stewart of Knightdale-based Millennium Sports Group, all proceeds raised by the networking event, the basketball games and the after party will go towards putting on future QC Community Weekends.
Sunday’s cookout at Southeast,
Coples said he has a lot of good memories from the inaugural event a year ago.
“The kids running up to me and saying, ‘What’s up’ and giving me a handshake meant a lot to me,” Coples said. “But there was a serviceman who said he came a long way for his family to meet me, and I’ll always remember him.”
What impressed Coples the most though, was the hundreds of people who came to the cookout despite a torrential rainfall that threatened to cancel the event.
“Even with all the rain, all of those people that came and stood under tents were impactful to me,” Coples said. “I will always treasure those moments.”
While some professional athletes are content with simply donating money to organizations, Coples said that’s simply not his way.
“No disrespect to those guys that write checks or give back that way, but the most important thing to me is being able to touch someone personally,” he said. “Sometimes, just giving someone a handshake or a hug lets them realize that I was once in their shoes only a few years back.
“I hope it helps give people hope and a different outlook on life. That’s the most important thing to me — being hands-on. I won’t feel like it’s been a successful weekend until I’ve shook someone’s hand or I see someone smile. That fulfills me.”
He credits his mother, Gail Coples, with inspiring the idea for the weekend — and his life.
“My mom is my everything,” Coples said. “She’s my backbone and introduced me to what’s important in life. She taught me to work hard for everything. She raised me by herself so she was doing things I can only commend her for.”
One thing he wants Kinstonians to know: the Quinton Coples Community Weekend is here to stay.
“As long as I have breath in my body, we’re going to do this event,” Coples said. “Even after I’ve retired, I’m still going to do this.”
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow
Breakout box:
The schedule for Quinton Coples Community Weekend in
Friday:
9 a.m.-3 p.m.: 5-on-5 basketball tournament at Teacher’s Memorial Gym,
6-9 p.m.: Professional networking event at Kinston Community Council for the Arts,
Saturday:
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Football/basketball camp for youth ages 6-15 (first 75 boys/girls who register) at
6 p.m.: 5-on-5 basketball tournament championship,
7 p.m.: Old school/new school basketball game,
10 p.m.-2 a.m.: Basketball after party at Olivia’s at Frenchman’s Creek, 225-C E.
Sunday:
12-5 p.m.: Community cookout,
Note: All proceeds raised during the 2013 Quinton Coples Community Weekend will be used for future community events