Photo Gallery Of The Jermaine Jackson Community Center
Jermaine Jackson Community Center Website
DETROIT -- Giving back to the community has always been a strong quality in Jermaine Jackson and now, the former Titan great and his love of the community and basketball has led him to open the Jermaine Jackson-Cairns Community Center in Mount Clemens.
“This is all about the community and family,” said Jackson. “You don't open up a community center for financial reasons. This is about giving back to the community and giving everybody here something positive to do. From kids to senior citizens, this is for the community and for families.”
The center opened in late March with the public first getting a look inside the facility and all the programs it has to offer. Some of the activities and classes the center is currently offering are Modern Dance, Fitness Boot Camp and Ballroom Dancing Class.
An after school program with tutoring is also on the docket, but in what is truly a community center for everyone, a seniors program, computer labs, arts, enrichment and culture programs will all be on the schedule. There is also a food assistance program called Forgotten Harvest that will be at the center every second and fourth Monday of the month.
“This is more than just basketball, this is a place that will have a lot of activities for everyone,” said Jackson. “This is just the start. I want to open up more centers around the area. I want there to be as many centers as there are McDonalds because I feel that communities need more positive places. Kids, teenagers, adults, I want this to be about family and that is why when the opportunity to take over this center became available, I was all for it.”
Athletics and physical education will be a big part of the center with two all-sports camps offered in June and July, which will feature swimming, tutoring, t-shirts, field trips, leadership development, special guests and more.
Of course, basketball will be one of the main themes in the center with both boys and men's basketball leagues available along with camps and private instruction from Jackson.
The Grand Opening of the center is set for Saturday, June 23, from 3-7:00 p.m. Jackson will be there in person to meet fans and the local community along with Congressman Sander Levin and City Commissioners. Some other featured guest will include another Titan graduate and NBA'er Willie Green, NBA player Jerry Stackhouse, former UDM head coach Perry Watson and a host of other former Titan players and city officials.
Fans will have the opportunity to take part in all the action on the day including: inflatables, live music, face painting, a basketball tournament, pony rides and a petting farm, free health screenings, hot dogs and refreshments and much more.
“It is going to be a great day,” said Jackson. “A lot of my Titan teammates and family will be here and I hope that a lot of people can come out and take part in this.”
A fundraiser for the center will also be held at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mt. Clemens (48 Market St.) on Wednesday, May 30.
A 2010 Detroit Titan Hall of Fame inductee, Jackson earned four letters at the University from 1995-99 and is 18th all-time in scoring with 1,341 career points. He was named the Horizon League Player of the Year in 1999 after averaging 13.9 ppg., and leading the Titans to a 25-6 record and a HL Championship. In his senior season, the two-time All-League honoree netted a team-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds as he helped put Detroit in the national spotlight when the 12th-seeded Titans upset fifth-seeded UCLA, 56-53, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Born and raised in Detroit, the product of Finney High School went on to play in the NBA for five seasons, appearing in 135 games with five teams (Detroit, Toronto, Atlanta, New York & Milwaukee) before taking his career overseas. He also played in the CBA and the USBL as well as in Italy, Greece, Spain, Mexico and Israel. He was recently selected to the all-star game of the Israeli Basketball League while playing for Maccabi Haifa.
The Jermaine Jackson Cairns Community Center is located on 58 Orchard Street in Mount Clemens (Located between Northbound Gratiot and North River Rd. on the corner of Clemens and Orchard). For more information on the center and its programs, call 586-630-0252 or visit
www.jermainevent.com.
