WS Chronicle

Carver High School alumni and local basketball legend Porsche Jones has had some memorable moments inside Alfred Poe Gymnasium. Jones was a part of two state basketball titles at Carver, and her retired jersey is hanging in the gym. Although her playing days are over, Jones is still adding to her list of memorable moments inside the historic gym. 

“This ranks high on my list,” Jones said, reflecting on her back-to-school giveaway. “This probably will be up there with state championship opportunities … maybe getting my jersey retired. I would definitely say it’s in my top five.”

Last weekend Jones’ nonprofit B.O.N.D. (Building on New Development) Cares partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters, to host BOND Love Day at Carver. The giveaway held on Saturday, Aug. 10, reached close to 500 students and families in Forsyth County.

The idea for the giveaway started as something Jones would do for families in need that she knew, but as she saw the need start to grow, she felt the urgency to do more, and that’s exactly what she did.

“One of the most important things that I could think about was the excitement I had getting ready for school, having a fresh pair of shoes, new outfit, getting my hair done, so I started sponsoring families and it just started to grow,” Jones said. 

“It started with me just going in my closet and then I reached out to some of my friends and that’s pretty much how it started; it was just a thought of making sure kids have the opportunity to start the school year fresh. I know there’s a level of confidence that goes along with that.”

The first BOND Love Day was held in 2023 and reached more than 250 students. This year Jones partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the local nonprofit Beyond Basics, and nearly 300 were registered for the giveaway in just two weeks. And on the day of the giveaway, hundreds were lined up outside the gym nearly an hour before the event was scheduled to begin.

In addition to providing free food, backpacks, school supplies, clothes, and shoes, this year Jones also partnered with Corey Paul Hair Studio to provide hair appointment vouchers and the Winston Salem Barber School for haircut vouchers. 

On Saturday there were also several vendors on site providing services and other information, including Novant Health, who was on site offering free health screenings. When discussing BOND Love Day and the growth of the event,  Jones said she’s excited to have the opportunity to serve more families. 

“I think there’s a lot of back-to-school events and I think that’s great. But our spin on it is that we focus on the entire process of what it means to get ready for that first day of school,” Jones said.