07/27/2010 - 06:41
Al Gives Back to Home
by
Paul Kingston
This week marks the start of something special for Al Jefferson.
For the second year in a row, Al is hosting the Annual Community Service Week in his hometown of Prentiss, MS. The event, which begins today, includes a week-long charity basketball camp for all ages, a family fun day and the distribution of $80,000 worth of food and supplies to 800 families in need through his partnership with Feed the Children.
The camp is being held at the high school basketball gym where Al played and led the Prentiss Bulldogs to a State Title before he went to the NBA. The school will also be dedicating the basketball court to Al and will host a ceremony to honor him on Wednesday.
The Feed the Children distribution will provide 800 families with essential items including 25-pound boxes of food, personal care items and products provided by Avon.
“A part of who I am today is a result of the experiences I had growing up in Prentiss,” said Jefferson. “I am fortunate to have fulfilled my dream of playing in the NBA and to be in a position where I can bring a piece of that dream to the area where I grew up - that means everything to me.”
The four-day charity basketball camp will provide approximately 500 young people ages 6 to 18 with several hours of free basketball skills instruction and motivation led by Al, and is meant to empower and inspire the kids living in Prentiss.
The Family Fun Day includes carnival and inflatable games, snow cones and cotton candy. Campers who attend will be provided with a basketball, T-shirt and products donated by Vitamin Water, Scholastic Books, the Minnesota Timberwolves and other local area businesses. Food for the event will be provided daily by local sponsor Bumpers Drive-In.
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