NAACP to hold Freedom Fund Banquet

“PROP is a great opportunity for individuals who are or have been incarcerated to regain life and education that they desire.”

— Marty Eggleston, LCCC head basketball coach

A basketball standout who is guiding students at Lorain County Community College will be the featured speaker for the Lorain NAACP’s 57th annual Freedom Fund Banquet.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 16, and the keynote speaker will is Marty Eggleston, head basketball coach at LCCC.

Eggleston’s school career included being an All American in his hometown of Coatesville and he played center for Kutztown University 1985-89. Afterward, he played 11 seasons of professional basketball in Europe, South America and the United States.

Eggleston has coached at every level and has been running basketball clinics, camps and individual training programs for more than 33 years.

“I’ve been asked on different occasions, what is my style as a coach?” Eggleston said in his biography at lorainccc.edu. “I am a player developer and I get a tremendous amount of joy from watching players of all types improve their game and get to the next level of play.”

Eggleston also is program manager for LCCC’s PROP program, which is Positive Re-entry for Ohio Prisoners.

“PROP is a great opportunity for individuals who are or have been incarcerated to regain life and education that they desire,” he said.

The program was highlighted for educators and corrections workers across the state in an online profile published by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

“And we do need that kind of thing, especially for our males,” said E. Jean Wrice, president of the Lorain NAACP.

The program will include a meet-and-greet with David Hardy, chief executive officer of Lorain City Schools.

Tickets are available by calling Wrice at 440-2420174 by Sept. 14.

The event will take place at the IAV Hall, 4569 Oberlin Ave. in Lorain.