A daggum good cause: UNC's Roy Williams coming to Fayetteville to boost Habitat for Humanity
If you ever wanted to meet Roy Williams, now is your chance.
The former UNC basketball coach, who led the Tar Heels to three national titles, will be the featured guest at a lunch and fundraiser for Fayetteville Area Habitat For Humanity, a nonprofit that helps low and moderate-income folks build and own their first homes.
“Homecourt: A Conversation with Coach Roy Williams” is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 27, at Felton J. Capel Arena on the campus of Fayetteville State University. The event is co-sponsored by Fayetteville Habitat and the FSU Athletic Department.
The retired coach will “share insights on the powerful connection between sports and community development, with a focus on the crucial issue of homeownership,” said Rebecca Wolf, marketing director for Fayetteville Habitat, in a statement.
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She said Habitat believes Williams’ perspective would lead to action in the community and support for its programs, which include the Critical Home Repairs program; Homeownership program; Trade Days for school students; and an upcoming construction camp for students 16 and over who are interested in trades.
Why trades?
Brandon Price, CEO of Fayetteville Habitat, said the legendary coach would take part in a Q&A after lunch. Sponsorship opportunities are available, as are tables of eight for $2,500 and single tickets for $125.
The money will go toward programs for Habitat, a regional nonprofit. The organization’s most visible venture is the raising of new homes through the “sweat equity” of future homeowners working alongside Habitat staff and volunteers. We see that visibility in neat, colorful neighborhoods like the one off of Bunce Road in west Fayetteville.
In addition to the homeownership program, Fayetteville Habitat does home repairs, a Veterans Build program and neighborhood revitalization.
But another aspect of the nonprofit is offering chances for young people to learn the skills of home construction and home repair, and tool safety — through Trade Days, a partnership with Cumberland County Schools. As part of the program, students build their own custom toolboxes.
“An old-school toolbox,” Price said. “They decorated them. Some were going to use them for flower pots, makeup brushes and nail polish. But some are going to use them as actual toolboxes.”
He said the goal is to get students who may not be interested in college a chance to learn about trades like carpentry and plumbing, which have plenty of good-paying jobs.
“We need more young people going into the trades because the average age of somebody in the trades is over 55 years old,” he said. “They’re aging out. That’s the reason why the cost of homes is going up — because there are fewer people doing it.”
Hall-of-Famer
Williams coached UNC from 2003-2021, and before that at Kansas from 1988-2003. He won more than 900 games and in 2007 was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
It is unclear the last time he visited Fayetteville.
In February, he sat down with his former rival, Duke’s Coach Mike Krzyzewski, for an hour-long special on the ACC Network, “Coach K & Roy Williams Rivals Reunited.”
Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Roy Williams, UNC legend, will speak, do Q&A for Fayetteville Habitat
