WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (WVDN) – Legendary basketball coach Roy Williams was joined by West Virginia political luminaries Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin and Gov. Jim Justice at The Greenbrier to kick off the GameChanger Prevention Education Golf Classic Dinner Wednesday, May 24.
The dinner preceded Thursday’s golfers’ breakfast and celebrity golf scramble set for Thursday morning.
During the press conference, Williams shared that he was mentored by his teachers and coaches, people who made all the difference to him as he grew up in a home with an alcoholic father.
Ultimately, he said, what gives young people hope are those mentors who go the extra mile for them in schools and in sports.
“Kids want to know that you care,” Williams said.
GameChanger is a drug prevention education program founded by Joe Boczek of Fairmont and is now entering its third year. The program has partnered with 12 West Virginia schools to educate young people about the dangers of drugs, particularly fentanyl. A highlight of the program is its film, “One Pill Can Kill.” Greenbrier East High School is one of the program partners where the film is shown.
Williams, who has led the North Carolina Tar Heels to three national basketball championships, said he was “flattered” to be invited to the event. “All these people we’re trying to help are our children and grandchildren,” he said. “If we can raise $5 more or $10 more, let’s raise it.”
In the last two years, GameChanger has raised over $800,000 for drug prevention in West Virginia high schools.
