EL PASO -- Ray Mickens repeatedly has put his money where his mouth is when it comes to giving back to the community, making the annual Ray Mickens Celebrity Weekend a staple on the El Paso sporting calendar.

In addition to Mickens, the Andress High School, Texas A&M and NFL great, former Dallas Cowboys Everson Walls and Mario Edwards are expected to be attend.

Also expected to attend are Rodney Liesle, a defensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals, and former NFL players Freddie Mitchell (Eagles), Chris Brazzell (Cowboys), Cedric Houston (Jets), Reggie Barnes (Cowboys), Jerald Sowell (Jets) and Mike "Scooter" McGruder (Patriots).

The annual event starts Friday and runs through Sunday, beginning with the celebrity golf tournament Friday at Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course.

The Chick-fil-A Football Camp is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Andress High School and is free to kids ages 8-18. Campers get free posters and NFL grab bags, free food and ice cream, free autographs and free health screening information and free child identification.

The basketball tournament is Sunday at Andress.

The events support the Ray Mickens Champions Fund. In the past five years, more than 3,000 youths have participated in the football camp, 600 have participated in the reading contest and 20 have participated in the mentoring program.

John Erfort may be reached at jerfort@elpasotimes.com; 546-6170