As he stood in Rees Park in Gary, Pastor Keion Henderson remembered watching Glenn Robinson get drafted to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1994 National Basketball Association draft. After Robinson began his NBA career, Henderson remembers him donating funds to replace basketball courts in the city.
“I said, ‘One day, I want to do something with my life and come back and do something in the place that gave me life’,” said Henderson, a Gary native. “And to be able to do that 20 years later is a testament to never giving up and sticking (to) the course and moving and walking by faith.”
The city of Gary, in a Friday afternoon ceremony, dedicated the park to Henderson and renamed it after him. The pastor recently donated $100,000 to revitalize the space, which was used to pay for a new playground, upgraded basketball court and a mural.
Various Gary representatives — including Mayor Eddie Melton and Councilman Dwayne Halliburton, D-2nd — thanked Henderson for his contributions and expressed how valuable the park will be.
Henderson is the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church of Houston and is popular for his sermons on social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram, where he has 1.6 million followers.
“Today isn’t about the name on the sign,” Henderson said. “It’s about reminding our community that no matter how far you go, you never outgrow where you came from.”
Henderson hopes that the park will remain a space for children, families and all Gary residents to gather. He also believes its renovations are proof of how the city will continue to change.
“This place was made famous by the Jacksons, but it’ll be made great again because of all of you,” he said at Friday’s ceremony.
Melton told Friday’s attendees that it’s important to have someone like Henderson who wants to invest in the city and who continues to return.
Collaboration between the Gary Common Council, mayor’s office and parks department was crucial to secure renovations for the park, Melton said.
“This is just the beginning,” Melton said. “The city is going to continue to invest in this park and many other parks we have. A lot of parks have gone vacant and derelict in the city over the years, and we’re changing that, and we’re making investments.”
Melton told residents that he hopes Henderson’s investment will encourage them to invest in the city, either on their own, or with the help of a nonprofit organization or church.
Halliburton shared Melton’s sentiments, saying that seeing Henderson’s contributions unveiled made Friday “a wonderful day for Gary.”
Halliburton has gratitude for Gary natives who continue to return and benefit the city after they leave, and he encouraged Friday’s attendees to have that same gratitude and respect.
“(The council thanks) everyone who is here and who played a part in this,” Halliburton said. “But remember, when we all leave here and when we visit it next year, this park is going to be in the same condition that it is in today.”
