‘It’s Bigger Than Me’ bouncing back

Local basketball legend Mikayla Boykin is reaching out to her hometown for donations in prep for her second annual “It’s Bigger Than Me” bookbag and school supply giveaway.

“I come from a rough part of Clinton, where my city has been plagued with violence,” Boykin said during last year’s inaugural event. “Every since I left the city, I’ve always said I wanted to make a difference and I am finally turning my words into actions. Blessed to be able to host my very first ‘It’s Bigger Than Me’ Back to School Drive.”

That said, she’s calling on the community for donations and supplies that will be used to support “It’s Bigger Than Me” return in 2024. To help make that happen she’ll be getting help from her cousin and Roseboro Elementary’s Tiffany Pitts.

“I will be partnering with my cousin Mikayla Boykin here in Clinton to do her second annual ‘It’s Bigger Than Me’ bookbag and school supply give away,” Pitts said. “We are dedicated to giving back to the youth in our community and helping them start the school year with the tools they need to succeed!”

Following their permission, the event is planned to take place at Royal Parks and Recreation on Aug. 4, from 1-5 p.m. While the actual event is still a ways out Pitts said that they wanted to grow the event even more than last years. That’s why they’ve started reaching out and collecting this early to get as much for the youth as possible before that day.

For those looking to donate supplies “It’s Bigger Than Me is accepting them at their drop off location at the office in Royal Lane Park. Those that wish to give or donate monetary Boykin’s CashApp for “It’s Bigger Than Me” is $Mikaylaboykin12.

Pitts also mentioned that they are looking for vendors, sponsors and potential volunteers that may want to participate in the event. For information regarding “It’s Bigger Than Me” Pitts said she’s Boykin contact for Clinton and she can be reached at 910-305-1452. Also of note, interested vendors or sponsors can also reach out to boykinmikayla123@gmail.com for additional details.

“The reason that she wanted to do this and give back to the community and help is because, growing up, we were around a lot of kids that didn’t have or parents couldn’t afford supplies,” Pitts said. “Mikayla, she’s just in a good place now where she wants to give back and she had asked me would I help her.

“I’ve always worked with kids and stuff so it’s about just giving back to the community and wanting them to have everything that they need going back to start out school. This is my first time ever doing this so we haven’t got far yet, but we’re taking things day-by-day as we try to get it all figured out.”

While they’re still ironing everything out, Pitts did mention that the event isn’t just a giveaway day as they’ll have more than just the vendors on scene.

”You can let them know that we do have activities planned to be out there for the kids of all ages,” she said. “Crafts, game, different vendors, food trucks and things like that is something we plan to provide for the community as thanks for their support. We are working on having this annually every year before going back to school, and we’re hoping to use Royal Lane Park every time we can.”