RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – For years, one family has been making a difference in the Florence community.

This all began in 1974. Sylvester McLin said throughout high school, children in the area did not have anywhere to play, so he wanted to build a place where people could come and play basketball.

“Was built around ’74, and after the hurricane that passed through here, it tore up everything. So, we tried to get stuff, the grants and so forth, so we can start building and fixing the thing up, but we couldn’t get anything. So, it happened. We got the family together, came on to the court, and we prayed together, and he started giving money towards this, and we did it ourselves,” said Arthur McLin, Sylvester’s grandson.

“We got a bunch of kids that, you know, went on to different colleges, and they said they get their foundation from here,” said Sylvester.

The family said a lot of people gather on the court for practice or to play.

Anyone who would like to donate or schedule a game on the court can reach out to the family’s Nursery Rainbow Child Care Center. It’s located next to the basketball court.