Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade are jammin' for charity. The Miami Herald.

Take a time-out for a good cause this weekend.

Alonzo Mourning’s annual fundraiser, Summer Groove, hits Miami this weekend and offers plenty of opportunities to rub elbows with celebrities or take part in outings for the whole family at won’t-break-the-bank prices, including a block party, an all-star basketball game featuring top NBA players and a comedy show.

The event is in its 13th year and has been steadily growing ever since the first Groove, says Mourning, the former Miami Heat center and founder of Alonzo Mourning Charities. The Groove raises money for Mourning’s charity, as well as the Wade’s World Foundation established by Heat guard Dwyane Wade. This is the second year the two groups are collaborating on the Summer Groove.

”The events are even more exciting and favorable to the community,” Mourning says of this year’s offerings. Among them:

The Summer Groove Comedy Show and Concert takes place Friday night, and features headliner Cedric the Entertainer, plus voice actor Gary Owens (perhaps best-known as the announcer on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In in the 1960s), and comedians Malik S and Aries Spears.

Deco After Dark, the Summer Groove’s benefit dinner, takes place Saturday night and features jazz and R&B singer Lalah Hathaway plus a silent auction including luxury items such as sports memorabilia and personal experiences with celebrities from the sports and entertainment world.

Sunday will feature the Groove’s most popular events: the free community block party outside AmericanAirlines Arena, followed by the all-star basketball game in which Mourning and Wade will be joined by NBA stars Lebron James, Carmello Anthony, Chris Paul, Joakim Noah and others in ”old school vs. new school” challenges.

Mourning says the block party will include face-painting, performances from local artists and the Miami Heat Dancers, and free screenings for ”silent killers” like high blood pressure and diabetes. The game is an inexpensive and fun outing for parents and kids, he said.

”We create events that cater to everyone in the family,” Mourning says. “We have something for everybody.”

Mourning said the idea for the Summer Groove came from a need to help children’s charities in South Florida, especially those aimed at helping children from impoverished areas and giving them opportunities to excel. One of the main beneficiaries has been the Overtown Youth Center, which was established by Mourning’s charity and local philanthropist Marty Margulies.

The center has about 250 students who received specialized care from second grade to two years after graduating high school, says Carla Penn, executive director of the center.

Students receive free after-school and FCAT tutoring, and can also take recreational classes like surfing, dance and music lessons — opportunities, Penn says, some have never dreamed of.

”We expose them to things that clearly allow them to see what’s available to them,” she says.

The center also provides information for parents, she says, including information on how to get a GED, financial information, and where to get help for problems such as alcoholism. She said the center and those involved in it know it’s just as important to inform parents as students.

Children from the Overtown Youth Center also take part in the Summer Groove, participating in a basketball clinic and a youth summit in which professionals from all fields will answer questions and offer children advice on how to achieve their goals, Mourning said.

”A lot of these kids don’t realize that we went through some of the things they’re going through now,” he says of the summit.

Although the Summer Groove may seem like it’s about entertainment, in the end, Zo says, it’s about helping kids to realize what life — and the community — has to offer.

”Life has options,” he said. “You just have to create those options for yourself.”

–ANDREA ASUAJE

For more Summer Groove events, click here