Ahead of their Wednesday night matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Philadelphia 76ers, in partnership with Toyota, hosted a basketball clinic at the Center for the children of military families.
Forty youths participated as Jr. 76ers Coaches teamed up with Franklin, the team’s mascot, Squad 76, and special guest, former 76er and Philadelphia-native Marc Jackson, to perform a series of basketball fitness drills on the team’s home court.
“As a fellow Philadelphian and a member out of Philadelphia community, myself, I was one of these kids when I was younger,” said Jackson. “So I see what it’s like to see a smile on their face because I was once the kid that had the smile on his face. So I like to give it back to others.”
“[Also,] I am a child of military [family]. My grandfather, my father, my stepfather, everybody’s military. My brother’s been 22 years Sergeant military. So I’m a vet military kid myself, so it’s important that we give back to community [and that] we engage the community. We have to do it more, because the more we spread the word, the more that we show love, it makes others want to participate and do the same thing.
This clinic is part of the 76ers “Stars & Stripes” initiative, which honors the military and their families, veteran-serving organizations, and retired servicemen and women during Military Appreciation Month. One of the many steps the Sixers have taken to support both the local military community, and the general local community.
Jackson is no stranger to serving his community. He often does, especially along side the 76ers organization. But it doesn’t take an NBA franchise or a former player to make a difference. Every person can make an impact on their community, this is the key to accomplishing it, according to Jackson:
Be kind to others, and don’t be afraid to spread your wings,” Jackson said. “A lot of times as people, we try to stick to our own, meaning our own family, our own environment. When you reach out and make new friends and encounter new people, it brings you closer to everyone, and we can become closer to everyone this community we can build better and bigger communities as a whole, and it helps not just for the youth of the communities, but also for the elderly.”
“There’s a lot of elderly too, that once they reach a certain age, they’re kind of loners. They’re kind of by themselves. If the community gets together, we build relationships with the youth in our own environment, our own community, and we encourage them to do the same for the elderly. It builds a healthier community and a bigger impact of worldwide.”
Later that evening, the 76ers hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for their Military Appreciation Night, at 7:30 p.m. The first 5,000 fans in attendance received a co-branded Toyota and 76ers winter hat to celebrate the occasion.
The team and Toyota also celebrated more than 500 active and retired servicemen and women by supplying them with tickets to the game.
