SAN ANGELO, Texas — The San Angelo community will be able to play basketball on a freshly painted court thanks to a San Angelo native looking to make a difference.
Torrance Pearson decided to use his talents to be an asset in the community and paint the basketball courts at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial park.
Pearson was born and raised in San Angelo and has been painting in the community for years. This year, he’s celebrating his fourth anniversary of owning his own painting business.
“I figured since I'm out here trying to change myself, why not show my change to my community? Why not start with something as loud as a basketball court?” Pearson asked.
It took Pearson about 15 hours to do the first half of the court and the entire court should be done in two weeks.
He hopes to serve as an example to youth in San Angelo to use their talents and be a value to those around them.
“We got to show our youth something different. If we guide our youth into the wrong direction, everything is just going to stay the way it is. So if we can't change it, our youth can't. So our youth is growing up playing basketball, why not give them something nice to play on? I always hear the ruckus in my head. It's just something that I wanted to do, it’s my way of giving back,” Pearson explained.
Organizations including Blackshear Heights worked hard to raise funds to make sure the courts were done in time for the Juneteenth celebrations happening this weekend.
The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce and the Concho Cadre are some of the organizers who attended the ribbon cutting to celebrate the newly-painted courts.
“I want to thank you again for being part of the chamber. I want to thank you again for the great services you do to our community, both in your professional for profit capacity, but also in your volunteering experience. So thank you so much. Very, very honored," San Angelo Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Walt Koenig shared.
Pearson hopes to name the courts after the former Blackshear Elementary School principal Aubrey Todd, who was a pillar in the San Angelo community.