Zaxby’s Basketball Tournament at Mississippi College Raises $1,600 for Salvation Army

Mississippi College Lady Choctaws basketball players have a little fun with Zaxby's mascot, LZ, at the Zaxby's hoops tournament to benefit the Salvation Army. The November 22-23 event at the A.E. Wood Coliseum on the Clinton campus raised a little over $1,600 for the Salvation Army of metro Jackson.

The Salvation Army’s feeding and emergency housing programs in the Jackson area received $1,600 thanks to Zaxby’s basketball tournament at Mississippi College.

Mississippi College student clubs and tribes filled buckets with slightly over $916 in cash in days leading up to the November 22-23 tournament at the A.E. Wood Coliseum. Another $700 was generated from ticket sales.

“It was a good opportunity and we had fun doing it,” says Janet Spears, development director at the Salvation Army of metro Jackson. “The people were so nice. Zaxby’s was so sweet and helpful to us.”

MC sophomore Kaitlin McCarty of Flowood helped organize the tribes and clubs and was pleased with their involvement. “Tribes and clubs showed great school spirit in supporting their Choctaws and the Salvation Army,” she said. More than 100 students with the organizations on the Clinton campus watched the games.

At the Zaxby’s Charity Tip-off, the MC Lady Choctaws opened the 2013 season Friday night with a 79-70 overtime loss to LaGrange College of Georgia.

Led by 23 points from Lady Choctaws Cara Beverin of Biloxi, 15 from Dominique Walker of Yazoo City, and 11 chipped in by Alexus Stirgus of Vicksburg, MC bounced back to defeat Rust 70-58 Saturday. Centenary College of Louisiana also played in the women’s hoops tournament.

The tournament’s opening night featured a basketball shooting contest featuring players from Madison Central High and Provine High girls teams. Zaxby’s mascot, LZ, was overseeing participants at a chicken eating contest at the Golden Dome and posed for pictures with fans.

At the moment, the Salvation Army’s bell ringer program continues to recruit volunteers to ask holiday shoppers to pour money into its red kettles outside stores in Mississippi and nationwide.

Last year, Zaxby’s sponsored a similar hoops tournament at Mississippi College to benefit the Coaches versus Cancer program to raise funds to fight the deadly disease.

For more information about Salvation Army services in metro Jackson and volunteer opportunities, call 601.982.4881.