By Patrick Hayes

Understandably, for people who survive growing up in impoverished, tough urban areas where it as a badge of honor. It’s a point of pride to go through difficult circumstances and emerge from those circumstances as a success. Jason Richardson, a former Saginaw Arthur Hill and Michigan State star who now plays for the Orlando Magic, definitely takes pride in his hometown, but his mission is to help fundamentally change the way Saginaw is viewed. Chris Solari of the Lansing State Journal recently talked to Richardson about that mission:

“We definitely want to get back to where it was,” the former Michigan State star and current NBA guard said Tuesday. “Right now, there’s a lot of violence — a lot of shootings going on, people getting murdered. I want to stop that in my city. I don’t want my city to be known for that.

“Some people I’ve heard take pride in Saginaw being one of the toughest cities in America, but I don’t want our city to have that type of reputation about it. I definitely want to change that atmosphere and what people perceive Saginaw is.”

Richardson has several events going on in Saginaw during his annual ‘Jason Richardson Charity Week,’ including a food giveaway, a golf outing, a basketball camp and he also hosted a ‘Night of Champions’ fundraiser.