Get ready to see your favorite elected official and/or local celebrity play basketball against the high-flying Harlem Ambassadors basketball team on Thursday, February 6. The event hosted by the Jefferson Davis County Chamber Partnership promises to be an exciting show with names of local players to be announced closer to the event.

All the money raised from this event stays in the local community with all proceeds going to the JDC Chamber Partnership. The exhibition game will be held at the Prentiss High School Gymnasium and will begin at 5:30 p.m.

The Harlem Ambassadors show is for audiences of all ages, from kids to kids-at-heart. Families laugh together at the Harlem Ambassadors’ hijinks and are amazed at their high-flying slam dunks and comedy routines. Since the Ambassadors play against a team comprised of people from the local community, every game is one-of-a-kind with fun and spontaneity.

The first and third quarters promise serious ball-playing with the second and fourth quarters all about fun and comic antics between the professionals and the local players.

The Ambassadors will also speak to youth through “Stay in School, Stay off Drugs” school assemblies for grades K-8 at Bassfield (9:00 a.m.) and Prentiss (10:30 a.m.) on the morning of the event. They will encourage students to set goals, show good moral character, respect themselves and others, not be a bully, and avoid negative influences like drugs, alcohol, and peer pressure that can prevent them from achieving their dreams. They show kids that through hard work and dedication, they can overcome obstacles and lead meaningful lives helping others — as professional athletes — or in any profession they aspire to do.

The Harlem Ambassadors have all played college basketball and have college degrees in fields ranging from exercise science to business administration and criminal justice. They perform approximately 220 fund-raising games and entertainment events for non-profit organizations and the U.S. military annually. The team consists of both women and men who make excellent role models for girls and boys. With a growing number of young girls participating in sports, the team features a dynamic woman role model as the star of the show.

The Ambassadors conduct a post-game autograph session where every child and fan has the opportunity to meet every player with no time limit. A drawing will be held where one lucky attendee will receive a free basketball signed by the team.

Harlem Ambassador ticket prices are $3 for children and $5 for adults, making the evening’s entertainment affordable. Children 4 years and younger are admitted free. The date and location for ticket sales will be announced shortly, according to Jerleen White, Chamber Administrator.

“Jerleen has spent countless hours getting this event set up,” said Chamber Director Ben Hamby. “We especially want to thank Superintendent Ike Haynes and the Jeff Davis County School Board for the use of their facility at Prentiss High School and our local sponsors for this event, which are Hancock Bank, Farm Bureau, M.G. Dyess, Woolwine, State Farm, Dungan Engineering, Johnson Funeral Home, David Cloyd, DDS, Saulters Moore Funeral Home, Southern Pine EPA, Town of Prentiss, Hudson Drugs, Western Motel, Sue Shivers Worthy, Clint Langley, John Davies, Town of Bassfield, Speights Cash & Carry, JDC Board of Supervisors, Sudz Laundromat, and Wards of Prentiss.” For more information, call 601-792-5903.