Whether on a basketball court in Europe or on the streets of New Jersey, Eugene Campbell III remains focused on his goal of “starting a movement that inspires others.”
It all started with a bag full of old sneakers. On a freezing February night in 2019, Campbell and her friend gave used shoes to people sleeping at Newark's Penn Station.
The non-profit organization Walk a Mile N Our Shoes was born.
At the time, Campbell was in graduate school at New Jersey City University, a member of the men's basketball coaching staff, and a pledge to the multicultural fraternity of Psi Sigma Phi. He set up a donation box in the lobby of his dormitory and started campaigning on Instagram.
Campbell collected anything she could hand out, including clothes, sneakers and hand warmers. He also brought together people such as his mother, Kim Campbell, and his sister, Alesha MacLean.
New volunteers will be welcomed at Walk a Mile's next service project, which begins Saturday at Newark Penn Station at 2 p.m.
Walk-A-Mile CEO Jean Campbell will lead the way. The 6-foot-3 guard from Carteret spends most of the year playing basketball overseas.
The 28-year-old spent last season in Bosnia's A-1 Liga side, Brcko. This is the fifth country on his resume, which also includes stints with professional teams in Tunisia, Portugal twice, Moldova and Armenia.
“When I’m at home, I’m on the field,” Campbell said. Campbell plans to return to Carteret in late March and stay until September. She said, “I don't even wear regular clothes when I'm home. I only wear Walk-A-Mile apparel: Walk-A-Mile T-shirts and Walk-A-Mile sweatpants.”
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I started from rock bottom and now I'm here
Campbell was cut from the East Brunswick Tech basketball team as a freshman. He joined JV as a sophomore and then played two seasons on varsity.
Campbell was born in Jersey City, but his family moved to Carteret when he was in middle school. He followed his father, Eugene Campbell Jr., and McLean, a former Rutgers-Newark guard and forward 10 years his senior, onto the basketball court.
In 2014, Campbell attended Middlesex County College in Edison and eventually joined the team. The sophomore averaged 15.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Campbell, who plans to advance his career in both basketball and academics, emailed NJCU coach Mark Brown Sr., who invited him to an open gym.
Campbell made enough of an impression to rejoin the team. He earned his bachelor's degree from NJCU in 2018. Brown helped him get a graduate assistantship so he could earn a master's degree in educational psychology for free.
“I ended up in last place a lot of times,” Campbell said. “I always make sure I'm at the top of my game and always give 120%.”
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Adding a basketball element to the nonprofit organization was a natural fit, and it was adopted as Psi Sigma Phi's national philanthropy.
Campbell, McLean and other volunteers hold summer hoop clinics for children. Walk a Mile also partnered with faith-based basketball nonprofit Court Kings for a youth tournament in Venezuela this July. Campbell hopes to distribute 500 pairs of shoes.
Closer to home, Walk-A-Mile is partnering with Newark's Pride Center. The volunteer team will participate in the annual New Jersey AIDS Walk in Newark and the Lupus Research Alliance Walk at MetLife Stadium during the same May weekend.
“Our distribution is pretty thin,” said Christopher Lugo, Walk-A-Mile's chief technology officer. He was born and raised in Jersey City and met Mr. Campbell through a fraternity. “When you give someone what they need and they literally cry, all the stress goes away and it's all worth it. That's when you know you've helped someone and made a difference.” That's why I do my job.”
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MacLean and Kim Campbell help keep Walk a Mile going even when Eugene is far away. Kim Campbell buys and packs personal hygiene products and does a lot of food distribution.
“At first, we didn't do that. It was shoes and sneakers,” said Kim Campbell, a human resources manager who lives in Carteret. “But when I volunteer there, I find that people are hungry. People don't just want sneakers, they want to eat.”
After a few more seasons overseas, Gene Campbell's long-term plans are to become a high school psychologist and basketball coach. He also wants to open a basketball facility in New Jersey “to bridge the gap for kids who can't express their talents at a higher level.”
“I never want to feel that way again, when I was on the bench, when I got cut, when I felt like no one was going to help me, that low point,” Campbell said. “That's why I like helping other people. If I can give back to them, it makes me feel good. I don't want to repeat that cycle. I don't want to have the opportunities I didn't have. I’m going to give it to my kids.”
Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For complete access to live scores, latest news and analysis, Subscribe today.
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