GAYLORD - It's the place where Adam Kerfoot grew up learning the game of basketball.

And now, as a college standout, Kerfoot has decided to give a little back to the Community Center.

Kerfoot hosted his second annual basketball camp this week, teaching 61 youngsters his favorite game. The camp was entirely free of charge.

“This town and the Community Center have given a lot to me,” Kerfoot said. “I just wanted a chance to give a little to the next generation of kids.”

The camp comes on the heels of an important weekend for the Community Center. A renewal millage for the Otsego County Parks and Recreation will be on Tuesday's ballot and if it does not pass, the Community Center would likely be shut down.

“This thing has helped so many kids throughout the years,” Kerfoot said. “There are 75 kids coming here after school each day. If keeping this thing going means everyone get out and vote than that's what we need to do.”

The camp was the idea of Parks and Recreation director Mike Tarbutton, who figured it would be a nice fit for children that didn't have the chance to go to many summer camps.

He enlisted Kerfoot, a Parks and Rec employee and current point guard for Madonna University, to teach.

Kerfoot, who would like to coach basketball someday, said the experience has been great.

“It has been really fun,” he said. “I really like working with both the older and younger groups. With the older kids, you can run a lot of college drills but with the younger ones, we just make sure to have a lot of fun.”

He enlisted help from his buddy Dom Borowiak and Mariah Beyer, a current player at St. Mary.

T-shirts were donated by another friend, Matt Collins, who owns Gaylord Seal Coating, the camp's primary sponsor.

Kerfoot was a 2003 graduate of St. Mary, where he was an all-state star. He still is among the all-time Michigan leaders in free throws made in a season (194).

Upon graduating, he played a couple seasons at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He then transferred to Madonna, where he is again set to start at point guard for the second consecutive season.

Last year, he averaged 7.7 points and 2.8 assists for the Crusaders.

“It's been a great experience for me,” Kerfoot said. “I've gained experience and gained a lot of knowledge about the game. My performance has improved, because I've been exposed to so many different coaches and styles.”

During this week, Kerfoot worked on his own coaching style. And judging by the smiles on the kids' faces, it's been successful.

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