James Edwards never imagined going viral.
When the 16-year-old started going door-to-door last year to work lawns in his Highland Court Manor neighborhood, he did it with nothing more than a rake in hand and the desire to help his parents, 34-year-old Takara and 27-year-old Lathaniel.
“I wanted to help my mom to pay her bills and have my own money I could use,” said Edwards, the oldest of seven siblings.
Then, on a Sunday afternoon, Gainesville Police’s own “Basketball Cop” saw the eighth-grader in action, took a selfie with him and sent out a bat signal to promote Edwards’ services via the Basketball Cop Foundation Facebook page. Within days, his story had been shared across the country on Facebook.
Officer Bobby White took Edwards under his wing Oct. 6 after seeing him with his rake looking for lawns to work. White, founder of the Basketball Cop Foundation, has since set out to help the Howard W. Bishop Middle School student turn his after school lawn services into a full-blown business.
“I think it’s awesome,” White, 48, said. “He didn’t depend on anybody, he did what he could with what he had. It’s rare, you don’t see it too much with kids these days.”
After White posted the picture, people from all over the country asked how they could help, and a man from Indianapolis even mailed Edwards an iPhone 6s Plus, he said.
On Wednesday, White bought Edwards a red mountain bike and mini trailer that attaches on the back. He also put Edwards’ new iPhone on his phone plan and is currently working on a Facebook page for the business, all to help launch the business, he said.
White went viral himself in January 2016 after police dash cam footage of him playing basketball with kids and teenagers in a low-income neighborhood on Northwest 21st Avenue, according to Alligator archives.
From that moment, “Basketball Cop” was born, and White launched his nonprofit of the same name to help police around the country connect with their communities.
“That’s what it’s all about,” White said of his foundation and working with kids like Edwards. “Building a relationship between the kids, the cops and the community by whatever means works — it’s not just about basketball.”
Takara, Edwards’ mom, said she’s honored to see her son make such an impact and completely on his own initiative.
“He’s not out on the street doing bad things, he’s doing good things and trying to make something of himself,” she said. “I’m proud of him, I’m really proud.”
Gainesville Police officer Bobby White, also known as “Basketball Cop,” and 16-year-old entrepreneur James Edwards pose for a selfie Oct. 6 in Highland Court Manor neighborhood. The selfie went viral after White posted it to his Basketball Cop Foundation Facebook page, and White has since been dedicated to helping Edwards launch his own lawn-care business.
