Foskey inspires youth

COMMITTED TO GIVING BACK

Story & Photos by Donna Marie Williams

or 32-year-old Justin Foskey, the unit director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain-Farmville Unit, giving back to his community is essential and one of the main reasons he decided to work with the Farmville Boys & Girls Club. “The Boys & Girls Club is one of the jobs that would allow me to give back to my community as a whole,” Foskey said. Foskey, who now resides in Greenville, was born and raised in Farmville. He attended Farmville schools and graduated from Farmville Central High School in 2005. In high school, Foskey participated in basketball and football, ran track and earned the coveted male athlete of the year award in 2005 for his participation in all three sports. Foskey continued his education and pursued his basketball career at The University of Mount Olive. It was there Foskey committed to giving back to his community. “I remember sitting down at our college basketball practice and Coach went around the room and asked ‘What is something you would want to do if basketball didn’t work.’ I wanted to give back to my community,” Foskey said. The idea of giving back to the community was not a new concept for Foskey. His parents, Randy and Regina Foskey, both of Farmville, had raised him and his siblings Coda, Randy Jr., Chris and Destiny Foskey, on the principle of giving back. “It was how I was raised. You come through this community or any community and you just want to constantly keep building the community. You see the obstacles you had growing up even if it was good or bad challenges. You know what you want to see get better or what you want to happen. You want to continue to give back to the community,” Foskey said. His parents also taught Foskey how to persevere through life. “They brought me up understanding the value of making sure you stay humble and to always make sure you finish out the job you desire to do — stick with it,” Foskey said, adding his parents have influenced his life in many ways. Foskey first began working with the club in

F2006 as a summer job and continued to work at the Farmville location during his summers home from college. Foskey graduated from The University of Mount Olive in 2010 with a degree in recreational league service and returned home to continue working with the Farmville Boys & Girls Club. “Coming back and being able to have that summer job helped a lot. I started as part time leader where I was helping around the gym. I would assist in the art room or any room that needed assistance. Mostly I spent the majority of my time in the gym,” Foskey said. In 2012, he was promoted to the club’s unit director. As unit director, Foskey prepares and implements programming, supervises staff and children, works to establish community partnerships and recruits new members for the club. “Here at the Boys & Girls Club we try our best to make sure the kids are safe, make sure it’s a positive environment for the kids and it’s a place they can have fun. We provide opportunities for the kids,” Foskey said. Opportunities for the students who attend

(Above) The Farmville Boys & Girls Club provides a room specifically for teens to have fun, relax and study. Justin Foskey feels it is important for teenagers like (L-R) Destiny May, 15, Elizjah Tyson, 14 and Janiyah McCarter, 15 to have a place to relax, have fun and study. 30

Farmville Magazine 2019

the club range and exist through partnerships the club has formed, Foskey said. “With the partnerships we form, the high school students have the opportunity to go to community college. They have the opportunity to work on soft skills, (we) help with creating resumes and we offer them the opportunity to do hands on activities with companies that come out and work with the kids,” Foskey said. High school students have also participated in Grow Local, a program through Pitt County Schools, which provides students hands on work experiences with partnering companies. Students have traveled to Greenville Utilities and the East Carolina Heart Institute to experience hands on learning activities. Partnerships with the club are vital. “One of our biggest partnerships we have is with the school system because that’s where we build relationships with kids coming to the school. We created club academy where we work with the school and go out and sit in the classroom and get the understanding of how they are teaching the kids. We come back and sit with the kids and help them do their homework,” Foskey said. Other partnerships include Pitt Community College, Farmville Public Library, Farmville Police Department, Farmville Parks and Recreation, GameStop, East Carolina University and Greenville Utilities. Through the Pitt Community College program, students have gained employment. “From the five kids who went (to the community college), four of them ending up getting jobs from that program,” Foskey said. Students have also been able to experience sport activities, including watching their first NBA game or college game, and students have been able to experience amusement parks. At Christmas time, the club takes approximately 25 students to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain-Jack Minges Unit in Winterville to receive Christmas gifts. Justin Foskey uses sports like basketball to teach the importance of teamwork to students (L-R) Chance Joyner, 11, Zymir Harvey, 10, Kentaizia Jones, 10, and Zikeem Moore, 10. Justin Foskey helps Darryn Gardner, 8, with his pool shot.

Justin Foskey assists students Jaylen Tyson (left), 13, and Tyvell Foskey, 12, with a computer learning program.

Justin Foskey and Amya Roberson, 11, review character traits.

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Kentaizia Jones (left), 10, prepares to throw a basketball to Chance Joyner (center), 11, while Zikeem Moore (center), 10, and Zymir Harvey, 9, block. Javonte McCarter, 11, plays mancola with Justin Foskey, the unit director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain-Farmville Unit.

Foskey also feels it is important to recognize the students who attend the club. “We have certain expectation for them. We like to recognize the kids as a whole as they do well. As they see that recognition, they know this is a place they can come and have fun, be recognized and experience an opportunity,” Foskey said. Foskey also shares his value of community service with the students who attend the club.

“Some of the kids have started a design for change club. It’s a work in progress still. It’s one of the programs that has different stages, and it’s where they create a project where they can make a difference in their community or across the state,” Foskey said. Of the various programs and activities offered, Foskey enjoys the sports programs the best.

“As unit director for the kids, I’m big on sports,” Foskey said. It was through sports that Foskey became familiar with the club.

“Growing up … I always had my friends who called and said ‘Hey we’re going to play basketball at the Boys & Girls Club.’ Back then, we would knock at the back door to see if we

could get in. I was playing ball with my friends, and the unit director came in and said ‘You are

not a member of the club. You can’t play here.’ So I came to the club just to play sports. There wasn’t a need for me to come for the other

programs. I was never an official club member. Just growing up here, everybody knew I was at the park. I feel like that’s where I spent most of my time at,” Foskey said. Foskey has continued his love for basketball at the club.

“We have a basketball summer league, and I created a spring break classic with the organization,” Foskey said. During the spring break classic and the basketball summer league, members from the Farmville Unit compete against other local clubs including the Greenville’s Grady White Boats-E.R. Lewis Family and Jarvis units, Ayden’s Dr. Ledyard E. Ross Unit and Robersonville’s unit in Martin County. “We just want to make sure we incorporate basketball and the clubs enjoy the atmosphere. It brings the Boys & Girls Clubs together,” Foskey said. Foskey is also the assistant basketball coach for Farmville Central and has coached

a Farmville Parks and Recreation basketball

team in the past. Though sports, Foskey has been able to connect with the students who attend the

club.

“A relationship was built to where they were asking ‘hey, Coach Justin, can you train this day or help me with this?’ It was building relationships to help them grow in life and in general,” Foskey said, adding his favorite part about being a unit director is “being able to see these kids grow, to me, it’s more of the excitement from knowing that you are doing something good to help others out. I see the impact that I have on the kids and how I help the kids.”

Foskey became an assistant coach with the men’s Farmville Central basketball team in 2012. Since then, the team has seen two

championships — in 2016 and 2019. “That first year in 2016, the team won and I was so excited. Those are some of the same

kids that came through Boys & Girls Club and played for my traveling team. Farmville has been winning — in all sports. To see this past year’s winning team, I had the same thing, with seeing some of these kids come up through the Boys & Girls Club. I remember some of them playing on my rec team. Some of the kids that were on the team, they will come to the club now and they have jobs now. We can see from start to finish,” Foskey said, adding he loves seeing the tangible progression of his students.

The students are what make the job worth it, Foskey said. “I always talked to the kids and the kids asked me, ‘Mr. Justin, what do you want to do?’ And I’m doing what I want to do. Just giving back to my community and adding to what’s already in place and trying to improve each day,” Foskey said. As for the Farmville Unit, Foskey has big dreams for its future.

“I would like to see this Boys & Girls Club continue to grow and expand into more than just a program that is already offered through the Boys & Girls Club,” Foskey said. The Farmville Unit, 3443 Park St.,

Farmville, is open from 2:30-7 p.m. weekdays during the school year and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays in the summer. For more information, call 252-355-2345.

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Farmville Magazine 2019