By Andrew Edwards
Elmore/Autauga News Staff Writer
Please see more photos below.
Spirits were high Monday night as public officials, business owners and members of the community gathered at the Robert Trent Jones Clubhouse to celebrate the Marlon Anderson and Marcus Jackson All-Star Golf Tournament pairing party.
Sports celebrities such as Roman Harper, Reggie Sanders, Adam Lind, Evan Crawford, and many more had the opportunity to meet and greet with the citizens of Prattville and surrounding communities.
The purpose of the party was not only for the sports icons to meet the people they were going to be paired with, but to provide a chance for Marlon and Marcus to give further explanation for the reasoning behind their foundation.
“At the heart of this whole thing, for Marcus and I, we want to see our community and the people in this community who are maybe underserved have the opportunity to do something to show them that they are worthy,” Anderson said. “The kids in this community – we were those kids back in the day. To have this opportunity to come back here and work together on building this center is something that we’ve talked about for most of our lives.”
Marcus and Marlon then revealed the name for their Multi-Purpose Community Center, the “Dream Center at North Highland.” The project is something that both Marcus, Marlon, and others have “dreamed about for years.”
The project will be backed by Civic Corporate Education Engineering Federal Healthcare Interior Design Sports (CDFL Sports), and is projected to be outfitted with three gymnasiums, two outdoor courts, meeting rooms, community center space, and classrooms – all of which are interconnected buildings with canopy roofing.
“This community, this city means so much to me. I’ve been working on this for a while now, and we came together with one goal in mind – to make a change for the community. We can’t sit around and wait, talk, and complain. I told Marlon that it was time for us to use our platform to come together and do something for the young people in the area,” Jackson said.
Lynda Blanchard, an American businesswoman, diplomat, political candidate who served as the United States Ambassador to Slovenia from 2019 until 2021, and contributor to the Marlon and Marcus Foundation, spoke about she how believes the foundation will serve the community.
“When Marlon and Marcus came to us, I immediately felt like this was something that I wanted to be a part of. Anything to do with helping children and bringing communities and families together is a win. I look forward to seeing the center in Prattville,” Blanchard said.
Silent Auction winners were announced at the end of the night, with prizes such as a signed Luis Gonzalez photo, gift baskets, and more.
144 golfers are taking part in the event this year. The shotgun start took place at 10:00 a.m. this morning at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course. Awards will be presented at 3:00 p.m.
