Outside of his continuous work in the city of New Orleans, one day is simply not enough time for Paul to accomplish the work he sets out to complete in his hometown each summer. Since his rookie season in 2005-2006, Paul has returned to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to host a city-wide event celebrating family, faith, volunteerism and community.

Paul’s fourth annual Winston-Salem Weekend was held September 24th – 27th with a four-day line-up of seven events hosted by the CP3 Foundation. The cornerstone event of the weekend is the annual Day of Service, which has become one of the weekend’s key traditions by rallying Winston-Salem residents around the common cause of making positive changes in their community.

The Day of Service began with a press conference at the Ken Carlson Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club where Paul unveiled his new children’s book “Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big” and also presented grants to beneficiaries of the 2008 Winston-Salem Weekend. Senior Services Meals-on-Wheels, Special Olympics of North Carolina and the Make-a-Wish Foundation collectively received $16,000 from the CP3 Foundation.

While at the Boys & Girls Club, Paul read his book to 40 local children at the facility during his own literacy initiative. He was also joined by high school volunteers who joined Paul in reading with Boys & Girls Club kids at the site.

The next Day of Service project was the assembling of care packages where 30 local volunteers assisted Paul in putting together over 100 care packages for American troops in conjunction with HeroBox. The packages for military men and women serving overseas also included personalized messages from the volunteers.

The Day of Service concluded at Winston-Salem State University where Paul joined Feed the Children and 30 more volunteers at a food distribution at Bowman-Gray Stadium. Eight hundred boxes of food and personal care items were distributed to 400 local families in need.

On September 26th, Paul hosted a youth basketball clinic for 200 boys and girls ages 8-13. Special guests including Hornets Head Coach Byron Scott and Wake Forest basketball players joined Paul to teach the children basketball skills and sportsmanship.

Later that evening, the CP3 Foundation hosted a charity gala honoring Paul’s late mentor, former Wake Forest Head Coach Skip Prosser. Over 300 guests joined Paul in remembering Prosser’s legacy while enjoying live and silent auctions, dinner, dancing and live entertainment. Proceeds from the event will benefit the CP3 Foundation as well as the charity of the Prosser family’s choice.

Annually, Paul chooses to conclude the Winston-Salem Weekend with a public celebration of faith and fellowship. On September 27th, 500 Winston-Salem residents joined Paul at a non-denominational church service and church social.

While the total proceeds from the 2009 Winston-Salem Weekend have not yet been determined, more than $325,000 has been raised through Chris Paul’s Winston-Salem Weekends over the past three years. A portion of proceeds from the entire weekend will be donated in memory of Coach Skip Prosser to the charity of his family’s choice.

“The entire Paul family demonstrates character, faith and family in everything they do, which has resulted in an amazing weekend for the Winston-Salem community,” said Hornets President Hugh Weber. “We are so proud of Chris’s commitment to his hometown of Winston-Salem and his new hometown of New Orleans. He is a true leader on and off the court and shares our organization’s passion for giving back to others.”

CHRIS PAUL'S WEBSITE:
www.chrispaul3.com