HENDERSON (KTNV) — Quinton Robbins was the second-youngest victim of the 1 October tragedy. The Henderson native was only 20 years old when he was killed during the Route 91 Harvest Festival. A foundation in his honor has helped his legacy live on by helping the community he loved so much.
It's easy to hear the pride in Joe Robbins' voice when we talked about his son Quinton at Heritage Park in Henderson.
"He's just a great kid, always helping other people out. He wanted to support any sport. Volunteer coach for flag football, for baseball, for soccer. Anything they were short on coaches, he would step in and help out," Robbins said.
"He loved sports and he loved helping other people. He had a job with the City of Henderson in the sports department. His name was Quinton, but he was known as Q. You're standing on the Q, and it's blue for his school colors, which was Basic High School, and he was known for basketball as well, and you can see the basketball right there. So that's a tribute to who he was and what he loved to do," he added.
Q's Court was built by the city to honor Quinton after his death. A "Q" was added to the nearby mountains, as well. The "B" stands for Basic High School, and the "Q" stands for Quinton. In addition to these symbols, Quinton's legacy is kept alive by his family through actively giving back to the community.
"The Quinton Robbins Play it Forward Foundation, it's a play on pay it forward, and that's what we feel we're doing with the community," Robbins said. "He loved sports, and he loved to play, so we support the local teams he was a part of, and the local schools, with scholarships, and contributing to the sports themselves. We're almost to $100,000 in contributions since we established the foundation.
Visiting Q's Court, and paying it forward by supporting the kids and sports leagues that Quinton loved, has been a part of Joe's grieving process since 1 October.
"I would say this is helping me, yes, 100%," Joe said. "I can remember the day I planted that tree, over there, and we had an event just like this. To see the trees grow, you know that time is passing, but your heart, it doesn't feel like it's passing. At all. It's still as grueling as the day it happened, in many ways. But yes, it helps, it certainly helps to have things like this, they've got a street named after him, coming in here, we've got this park, we've got the Q on the hill, all symbols of his life, and the life that he led on this earth."
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For his community service in the face of tragedy, Findlay Automotive Group is honoring Joe Robbins as October's Vegas Stronger Champion.
Jeff Giles with Findlay Automotive Group presented the Quinton Robbins Play It Forward Foundation with a check for $1,000.
"We heard about everything that you're doing with Play It Forward, and it's such a wonderful thing," Giles told Robbins. "As a small token of our appreciation, we wanted to make a contribution to the scholarship. We commend you for doing something wonderful out of something tragic."
You can keep in touch with the Quinton Robbins Play It Forward Foundation through their Facebook page.
