Kori Ellis
08-08-2006, 10:53 PM
Event set for Chris Paul
Weekend named in star's honor; it will also be fundraiser
By Bertrand M. Gutierrez
JOURNAL REPORTER
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189857606
Chris Paul is bringing a few of his NBA friends to town just before the start of the NBA season.
In what is expected to be a blockbuster weekend of events, the NBA stars plan to be here Sept. 15-17 for the inaugural Chris Paul's Winston-Salem Weekend, organizers said yesterday.
At the same time Paul and friends are raising money for his charity organization, the CP3 Foundation, the city's Rock the Block party is scheduled for Friday that weekend.
Winston-Salem is big enough for both events, Mayor Allen Joines said. The players' NBA schedules left few choices for the Paul event.
To help with the fundraiser, Paul, who lives in Lewisville, recruited some friends, including his coach in New Orleans/Oklahoma, Byron Scott, his former coach at Wake Forest University, Skip Prosser, guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, his former teammate Speedy Claxton and former Charlotte Hornets player Dell Curry.
Paul, a near unanimous rookie-of-the-year selection last season, persuaded two of the league's other hot young stars to come as well in Anthony, a 6-foot-8 forward on the Denver Nuggets who finished eighth in the league in scoring last season, and Arenas, a 6-foot-4 guard for the Washington Wizards who ranked fourth in points per game.
They could not be reached for comment because they're traveling with USA Basketball in Asia.
Paul announced his plans for the foundation in the spring. It will be a fundraiser for his grandfather, who was killed in 2002 after being assaulted in Winston-Salem. A few days after the incident, Paul, then a senior at West Forsyth High School, scored 61 points in dedicating the game to his grandfather. Paul intentionally missed a free throw and passed up a chance of breaking the statewide record of 67 points in a game to keep his points total matching his grandfather's age.
The money raised from events during the Sept. 15-17 weekend will go toward the Nathaniel Jones Scholarship Fund, which was named after his grandfather. The scholarship will be used for a student who attends Wake Forest University.
Paul's CP3 Foundation sponsors the scholarship and other philanthropic projects.
Last year, for example, the foundation helped pay for the renovation of the Rupert Bell Recreation Center, said Tom George, the senior marketing officer for Octagon, a sports agency organizing the event.
A dinner gala and silent auction has been scheduled for Sept. 15 at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem. A youth forum has been scheduled during the day in the grand ballroom at the Marriott Hotel downtown.
On Saturday, Paul will be the host of a basketball clinic at the West Forsyth Family YMCA and, later, a bowling tournament at the AMF Lanes on Jonestown Road. On Sunday, organizers plan to have a community church service at the Benton Center, with seating for 700.
"To me, Chris Paul is just a quality individual who's willing to share his good fortune with his hometown," Joines said.
Weekend named in star's honor; it will also be fundraiser
By Bertrand M. Gutierrez
JOURNAL REPORTER
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189857606
Chris Paul is bringing a few of his NBA friends to town just before the start of the NBA season.
In what is expected to be a blockbuster weekend of events, the NBA stars plan to be here Sept. 15-17 for the inaugural Chris Paul's Winston-Salem Weekend, organizers said yesterday.
At the same time Paul and friends are raising money for his charity organization, the CP3 Foundation, the city's Rock the Block party is scheduled for Friday that weekend.
Winston-Salem is big enough for both events, Mayor Allen Joines said. The players' NBA schedules left few choices for the Paul event.
To help with the fundraiser, Paul, who lives in Lewisville, recruited some friends, including his coach in New Orleans/Oklahoma, Byron Scott, his former coach at Wake Forest University, Skip Prosser, guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, his former teammate Speedy Claxton and former Charlotte Hornets player Dell Curry.
Paul, a near unanimous rookie-of-the-year selection last season, persuaded two of the league's other hot young stars to come as well in Anthony, a 6-foot-8 forward on the Denver Nuggets who finished eighth in the league in scoring last season, and Arenas, a 6-foot-4 guard for the Washington Wizards who ranked fourth in points per game.
They could not be reached for comment because they're traveling with USA Basketball in Asia.
Paul announced his plans for the foundation in the spring. It will be a fundraiser for his grandfather, who was killed in 2002 after being assaulted in Winston-Salem. A few days after the incident, Paul, then a senior at West Forsyth High School, scored 61 points in dedicating the game to his grandfather. Paul intentionally missed a free throw and passed up a chance of breaking the statewide record of 67 points in a game to keep his points total matching his grandfather's age.
The money raised from events during the Sept. 15-17 weekend will go toward the Nathaniel Jones Scholarship Fund, which was named after his grandfather. The scholarship will be used for a student who attends Wake Forest University.
Paul's CP3 Foundation sponsors the scholarship and other philanthropic projects.
Last year, for example, the foundation helped pay for the renovation of the Rupert Bell Recreation Center, said Tom George, the senior marketing officer for Octagon, a sports agency organizing the event.
A dinner gala and silent auction has been scheduled for Sept. 15 at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem. A youth forum has been scheduled during the day in the grand ballroom at the Marriott Hotel downtown.
On Saturday, Paul will be the host of a basketball clinic at the West Forsyth Family YMCA and, later, a bowling tournament at the AMF Lanes on Jonestown Road. On Sunday, organizers plan to have a community church service at the Benton Center, with seating for 700.
"To me, Chris Paul is just a quality individual who's willing to share his good fortune with his hometown," Joines said.