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Midvale Journal

Jazz, Larry H. Miller Charities to give $25,000 for basketball court

Sep 09, 2015 03:59PM ● By Rhett Wilkinson

Larry H. Miller Charities, led by Jay Francis, will give $25,000 to Midvale to build a community basketball court. Photo courtesy United Way of Salt Lake

By Rhett Wilkinson

The Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Charities announced Aug. 27 that a grant of $25,000 has been awarded to Midvale to build a new community basketball court.

The organizations were excited about putting a court in the Midvale area because of the developments in and around the area, LHM Charities President Jay Francis said.

“The area will be revitalized and the court that we are providing will help with that,” Francis said. “We felt like this was natural and it would be something that would give back to the community for years and years to come. … This is what is meant when Gail Miller says, ‘the communities where we do business should be better because we are there.’”

The court brings the total to 15 Utah Jazz community courts built or funded since 2001.

Previous court locations in the Salt Lake valley include: Sugar House Park (Sugar House); Smith Fields Park (Draper); Taylorsville Recreation Center (Taylorsville); Veterans Memorial Park (West Jordan); and Ron Wood Memorial Park (West Jordan).

“We hope that it encourages kids to put down their cell phones and devices,” Francis added. “As we’ve done this for many years, there’s always an excitement that the Jazz logo is on the court.”

Larry H. Miller Charities is a nonprofit organization representing the charitable arm of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. Since 1995, Larry H. Miller Charities has granted more than $4.4 million to nonprofit organizations in Utah. The Utah Jazz are the third-winningest team in the NBA over the last 30 years and operates the Junior Jazz program, according to a press release.