Pictured: Brandon Jackson flanked by two unidentified friends from his Facebook memory page.
A group of Altadena and Pasadena residents, spearheaded by the First Presbyterian Church of Altadena and the Clergy Community Coalition, are organizing a basketball event to fund scholarships in Brandon Jackson's memory.
The "Brandon Jackson Memorial Basketball Shootout" will "raise money for college scholarships to enable deserving young people in our community to follow the path to higher education that Brandon was not able to complete," according to a press release.
Jackson, a Muir High School student and athlete, was gunned down in February in a still-unsolved murder. Recently, the county board of supervisors announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to conviction of the perpetrators.
The release said that over 400 attended Jackson's funeral at the First Presbyterian Church of Altadena: "Teachers, students, administrators, mentors and friends spoke of Brandon's commitment to positively affect his school and community and to encourage fellow students."
There are two ways to support the scholarship fund, according to the release:
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Give generously toward the two college scholarships that will be awarded to students who, like Brandon, have shown promise and a demonstrated commitment to education.
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Plan to be at Loma Alta Park to cheer on the teams at the Basketball Shootout on Sat., Aug. 13, from 8 AM-8 PM.
To make a donation to the Brandon Jackson Scholarship Fund, to find out how you can help, or for other information contact: Debra Williams at 626-791-4271 Ext.302 or 626-808-5382 (cell) or email to debrawilliams@sbcglobal.net
UPDATE: Debra Williams, who is the director of children, youth, and family ministries at First Presbyterian, said that teams can sign up to play, and every team is guaranteed to play at least two games. Entry fee is $150 per team, which goes to the scholarship fund.
Williams said that they were planning to award scholarships to students who were starting college this fall. "We're not targeting students who have a 4.0 grade average -- maybe they'll go to college anyway," Williams said. The scholarship will look for students, like Brandon, who may not have done well in early high school but decided to make the effort to turn their lives around and make school a priority. "We'll look at students who have a 2.5, who will be getting into school, but not with a lot of scholarships."
