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Chester County Press

Overton to speak at Spirit of Giving Luncheon

01/10/2017 12:47PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Doug Overton, a Philadelphia basketball legend and coach of the Lincoln University men’s basketball team, will serve as the guest speaker of this year’s Spirit of Giving Luncheon. The event, which is held to support the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center, will take place at noon on Monday, January 16—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The community is invited to attend the luncheon. Each attendee is asked to make a $35 donation to the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center. The Spirit of Giving Luncheon was started by community leaders and business people who wanted to raise funds for the Neighborhood Services Center, the Oxford non-profit that helps less fortunate families in southern Chester County. The luncheon was initially held around Christmas—a time of particular need in the community, but through the years, the Spirit of Giving Luncheon has continued to evolve. In 2008, the Oxford Area School District joined as a partner in the event, and began hosting the luncheon on the school campus. In recent years, the event has been scheduled to coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The donations that are collected, and supporting an agency like the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center honors Dr. King’s legacy of community service.

All the proceeds from the event will be used by the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center to provide nutritious food, financial assistance for housing, heating, utility services, and health care assistance for individuals and families in need. The Neighborhood Services Center has been serving the community since 1971.

Jim McLeod, one of the organizers of the event, expressed his gratitude toward Overton for serving as the guest speaker.

We are thrilled and so grateful to have Coach Overton as our keynote speaker this year,” said Mcleod. “I have been a big fan since he played for La Salle in the Big 5.”

Overton, an 11-year NBA veteran, will be available for autographs at the luncheon. Local basketball fans will recall that he played alongside Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers on a Dobbins Technical High School team that won a city championship. He went to play guard at La Salle University before being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1992. During his pro career with the Pistons, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 2,253 points in 499 games.

This is the 27th annual Spirit of Giving luncheon, and it will be held at the Penn’s Grove Middle School cafeteria.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.ocfordnsc.org/donate-form/donate or checks can be made payable to the Neighborhood Services Center on the day of the event. Cheryl McConnell can also be contacted at the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services Center at [email protected].