Mike Thorn
NCR Reporter
NFL superstar and Yulee native Derrick Henry returned to Yulee Saturday for his annual Two All Community Day.
Each year, Henry gives away bicycles, backpacks, scooters, books, and other items to 300 kids in preparation for the upcoming school year. The event at the Yulee Sports Complex was put on by his nonprofit, the Two All Foundation, was filled with energy as a ton of families staked their claim in line before Henry’s arrival.
Along with the giveaways, Henry supplied the kids with bounce houses, face painting, axe throwing, and an autograph session.
“I’m very excited, humbled, and blessed to be able to do something like this for the town I grew up in,” Henry said.
He recalled moments from his days at the sports complex, including football games, baseball games, and cookouts. Henry was a standout running back at Yulee High School nicknamed “Shocka” and continued on to The University of Alabama, where he became a Heisman Trophy winner in 2015. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2016 and became known as “King Henry.” He now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
“This is something that I’ve always wanted to do and said I was going to do when I got the opportunity to have this kind of platform,” he proudly said.
Every kid that received something from Henry, even if it was just a handshake, left with a smile on his or her face.
“It makes me feel great. That’s why I do it. If they aren’t smiling, then I’m doing it wrong,” Henry said. He took great pride in making sure every kid felt special.
He added, “I want to be exhausted by the end of this. I want to do this every year in each community I’ve been to, whether that’s in Nashville where I got drafted or Alabama where I played college football and now in Baltimore. I’m gonna try to touch as many kids in places that have impacted me.”
Henry credits his late grandmother Gladys Henry for a lot of his community work.
“She meant everything. She’s the reason I am who I am today, the rock of my family. I got a butterfly symbol as a representation for her,” Henry said. He got the tattoo in her favorite colors.
Henry looks forward to building on the event every year to make sure the youth in Yulee feel the love he’s trying to give back.