YULEE, Fla. – For the third straight year, Derrick Henry returned home to Yulee. But this year, the Ravens running back added something new to his annual “Two All Foundation Community Day”.
Henry presented Yulee graduate Joshua Barnes with a $10,000 scholarship check. Barnes ran track at Yulee and will attend the University of South Florida this fall to study film.
“I’m glad that I was chosen for the scholarship,” Henry said. ”It means a lot. It inspires me to work harder and keep going.”
Henry says he wanted to bless someone from the same high school where he grew up.
“God has blessed me tremendously and I just want to be a blessing back to someone,” Henry said. ”I wanted to do it especially for someone from my high school where I grew up.”
The scholarship was just one part of the day. More than 300 kids received free backpacks, bikes and scooters at the Yulee Sports Complex. Families also took pictures, collected autographs and enjoyed games and water slides.
“So fun. It’s really fun,” 8-year-old friends Rashad Gholston and Marlo Hall said. “I’m choosing this bike. This is my favorite bike.”
And meeting Henry made the day even better.
“This is my favorite player,” a kid who got Henry’s autograph said. ”Since I’ve been little. Since I figured out what football was.”
For Patricia Cribb, seeing the excitement on her grandchildren’s faces was priceless.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Cribb said. ”It is really a blessing. The kids were so excited they couldn’t sleep last night.“
“With how prices are today, you can’t afford anything, so it’s just so great that he does this out of the goodness of his heart,” Cribb continued.
Steve Wilbon says watching the kids enjoy their new bikes was the highlight.
“That’s the best part,” Wilbon said. ”Especially some of the kids that can’t afford stuff like this, it means a lot to them.”
And for Henry, that’s exactly why he keeps coming back.
“It makes my heart smile to be a blessing to these kids,” Henry said. ”Something they look forward to. That’s what we wanted to do this for. This community day where kids can come out and have fun.”
Henry has spent the past decade giving back to the communities where he played football by donating resources to local families.