How Flau'jae Johnson and Akelo Stone gave back to Savannah with back-to-school events

A pair of Savannah natives who have gone on to become college sports standouts returned to the Hostess City over the weekend to give back to their hometown with back-to-school giveaways.

Flau'jae Johnson, a crossover star as a basketball player at LSU and an up-and-coming rap artist, held her second annual Back 2 School Giveback Festival at the Enmarket Arena on Friday. Former Jenkins football standout Akelo Stone, now playing for Ole Miss, hosted his own free giveaway Saturday at his alma mater in a well-received event.

Johnson, the daughter of the late Savannah rapper Camoflauge, played high school ball in Marietta for Sprayberry High, but she has been active with her presence in Savannah over the last few years and has a close connection with the community. She was a member of the LSU team that won the 2023 NCAA tournament when she took home SEC Freshman of the Year honors. This season, she was a second-team All-SEC selection. Johnson recently performed on the nationally televised ESPY Awards.

She held her inaugural giveaway last summer in an event at Lake Mayer attended by thousands. But blistering heat had a negative effect on an otherwise great day. This year, she moved the event indoors to Enmarket Arena, with thousands showing up again to receive free school supplies, backpacks and shoes while experiencing music, games, food and other kid-centric activities. Johnson is a brand ambassador for The Athlete's Foot, which sponsored the event and donated 400 Puma backpacks and hundreds of pencils and notebooks for the giveaway.

Nene Thomas, a student at Effingham County High and Ogeechee Technical College, said she is big fan of Flau'jae's music and the event made her admire her even more.

"I feel like a lot of rappers don't do these kind of things," Thomas said. "It shows she hasn't forgot where she came from and cares about her community."

Khobe Fields, a 12-year-old student about to start seventh grade at Blessed Sacrament, was there with his younger brother, Khash, and his father, Ronnie, who was friends with Flau'jae's father.

"Flaujae giving back means a lot to us because she's from here and knows how some people struggle," he said. "She is a role model."

Flau'jae took time to take hundreds of pictures and interact with the kids and their parents.

"It means a lot to me just to see the kids all having a good time and being happy," Flau'jae said. "Sometimes parents are working so hard and still coming up short. So sometimes it's up to us to help these kids, especially when they are going back to school. I never had anything like this growing up, so holding this means a lot, and I want to make it bigger and bigger to help people out. It's all about the kids."

Stone was a star on the Jenkins squad that made a run to the Class 3A state semifinals in 2019 after a pair of runs to the quarterfinals. He played at Georgia Tech before transferring to Ole Miss before the 2023 season and has two seasons of eligibility left.

"The transfer to Ole Miss was good for me, it's a lot more intense playing in the SEC," said Stone, who had 27 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Bulldogs last year. "I had some catching up to do football-wise, and I'm ready for this season.

"I wanted to have this event so I could give back to where I came from," Stone said. "I want the focus to be on the kids and watch them have a good day. It's reminding me of a family reunion with all the old friends, teammates and people I'm seeing and that's what I was hoping for."

Jenkins Coach Tony Welch never got a chance to coach Stone, but knows him well and respects what he has accomplished as a player and person.

"Seeing players come back and give back to our community means a lot to Jenkins and the whole city of Savannah," Welch said. "Akelo is setting an example that these younger kids see, and hopefully they will do the same thing if they can get to that level."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How Flau'jae Johnson and Akelo Stone gave back to Savannah with back-to-school events