Protecting our children, families and communities from gun violence.
That is the stated goal of the Wayne’s World Foundation of West Virginia which is a non-profit organization founded in 2021 after the untimely death of former Woodrow Wilson basketball standout Dwayne Richardson.
Richardson was the unfortunate victim of an accidental shooting nearly one year ago.
One of the key components of the Wayne’s World Foundation is providing financial support for higher education through the Dwayne Richardson Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship is geared towards students who might not have the means to fulfill their educational goals.
As part of the Wayne’s World Foundation’s mission statement is says, “this foundation hopes to ensure doors will not be closed to those who lack financial resources, and that post-secondary education will be available to all with the potential to succeed.”
To further support the work of the foundation and help bring the Beckley community together in regards to the prevention of gun violence, two huge events are planned at Woodrow Wilson High School.
Saturday’s events will be highlighted by two of Richardson’s favorite things, basketball and sneakers.
“I received a letter in the mail from Pam Morgan in regards to her cleaning out her son’s shoe closet. She had a lot of shoes that she wanted to sell and knew Dwayne was into sneakers,” Dwayne Richardson’s mother Keisha Richardson said. “It started off like that and he also loved basketball. So we wanted to do something where we could have a sneaker sale and a basketball tournament at the same time. This has been in the works since like October.”
The inaugural Wayne’s World Foundation 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament and Skills Challenge with tip-off at 10 a.m. with a mandatory registration at 9 a.m.
The basketball games will feature four divisions including elementary, middle school, high school and adult.
Admission is free Saturday and will include the sneaker convention where individuals can buy, sell or trade shoes, as well as concessions, games and a live DJ.
“We have been selling tables, so you can come in and set up your table with shoes, hats or something you want to sell. You can (rent) a table (for $100) and sell items or you can bring some shoes and trade with other individuals. It is a buy, sell or trade event,” Richardson said. “Dwayne used to go to these Sneaker Con events in Charleston, so that is how this all started.”
All of the proceeds for the event will go to the Dwayne Richardson Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund.
“We have established a scholarship with Beckley Area Foundation. Everything that people buy will go to the foundation in honor of his scholarship. Donations can also go straight to them or you can make donations at venue,” Richardson said. “The scholarship is for any Raleigh County student that has played basketball and it can be for male or female.”
The weekend will be capped off Sunday by the Streetball Takeover Tour brought together by Summit Kollective and spearheaded by Anthony Hairston who coached Richardson at a younger age.
“We wanted to give respect to Dwayne because he loved basketball so much and bring them in town,” Hairston said. “We did it back in 2013 with And-1 and it went off real well. We just felt like it was the right time to bring them back for a great cause. Dwayne was a dear player to my heart. This is all about the community coming together and focusing on gun violence.”
The Takeover Tour event starts at 6 p.m. with the doors opening at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
“We have the New York ballers like Baby Shaq, Posterboy and a few others coming in to play against some Woodrow legends like Damien Tunstalle, Philip Grant, Chase Morgan and others. We also have a few surprise players coming like (Mikel) Byers from Marshall playing for the Beckley team.”
More information can be found by going to the Dwayne Richardson Jr. Memorial Scholarship Facebook page.