By Mark Wineka

mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — FACT (Families and Community Together) will sponsor a “Sports Night Out … A Family Affair” on the front lawn of Livingstone College from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

According to organizers, the event aims at promoting a family fun-filled evening to bring the Salisbury-Rowan community together, beginning in the West End area.

The evening will include various outdoor games and board games, food and door prizes. All ages are invited to come and enjoy the fellowship.

The FACT program is an outreach effort initiated by Soldiers Memorial and Moore’s Chapel AME Zion churches to serve Zion Hills Apartments and the greater community.  This year, other area churches and organizations were invited to join in to reach a broader number of  citizens.

The program’s five areas of summer focus are spirituality, education, recreation, mentoring and job preparation. Other activities are planned for this summer and the remainder of the year.

Other church partners include Crown in Glory Lutheran Church, Mount Calvary Holy Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, First Calvary Baptist Church, Lilly’s Chapel Church of God, Mount Zion CME Church, Livingstone College, Hood Theological Seminary, the Salisbury Housing Authority, AARP and concerned individuals Jean Kennedy and Valerie Goodlett-Gaither.

The Rev. Carolyn D. Bratton is pastor of Moore’s Chapel AME Zion Church, and the Rev. Derrick Anderson is the new pastor of Soldiers Memorial AME Zion Church. Zion Hills Apartments are jointly owned by those two churches.

For the Sports Night Out, families are being encouraged to wear the attire of their favorite sports teams or church-branded shirts.

There is no admission fee. Children will be admitted with adult supervision.

Activities include a devotion and welcome, dinner snack, a family needs survey, door prizes, lawn games and a bounce house. The gymnasium and track also will be open.

On the horizon, FACT will be sponsoring a Reading-Creative Expression-Music Camp June 27-July 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, at Soldiers Memorial AME Zion Church, 306 N. Church St.

The camp is for ages kindergarten to high school. There is no charge and lunch is provided. Pre-registration is preferred by contacting Soldiers Memorial at 704-636-7391, or soldiersmemorial@bellsouth.net, or Moore’s Chapel at 704-636-7995, or mooreschapelamezion@gmail.com.

FACT also helps with a School USDA Summer Lunch Program from June 13 into August from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Zion Hills Apartments, for children up to 17.

The Fifth Annual Skills and Drills Basketball Camp will be held at Livingstone College later this summer at a date and time to be announced.

For more information on the FACT program, contact Mary Hardin at 704-636-3389.