This year's recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. SPIRIT AWARD is Jane Lee Olinger. Jane was born and raised in Hazard, Kentucky. She graduated from Hazard High School where she was an outstanding basketball player and softball player. She attended Alice Lloyd College on a basketball scholarship. After college, Jane worked as a teacher with the Backwoods Head Start program in Hazard and with the Head Start program in London, Kentucky. She has worked for UPS, LKLP, and currently for the Kentucky Area Development District (KRADD) as the Human Services Assistant/SHIP (State Health Insurance Program) Counselor.

Photo of Jane Olinger

Jane's accomplishments include:

* Induction into the Hazard High School Basketball Hall of Fame in February 2020

*A member of the Summer Softball team that made it to the Softball World Series during her college years

*Recipient of the Kentucky River AD/AAIL Caregiver of the Year award in 2015 for her care of foster children

*Received an Appreciation award in April 2019 at the Hazard/Perry Civic Night banquet for her hard work and dedication to helping kids through the Community Sports League (CSL).

Jane is the founder and director of the Community Sports League. One summer day on Liberty Street, Jane noticed that there were many kids in the neighborhood with nothing to do. She decided to gather kids together to play basketball on the Liberty Street Ball Court. This was the beginning of the CSL. Not only did the kids learn the rules and regulations of basketball, but they were also taught about sportsmanship and respect for others. She used the Orville Francis Community Center during the summer for all CSL activities, including after-school tutoring and providing snacks and meals. The CSL has been going strong for eleven years. Jane is active in her home church of Consolidated Baptist Church. She married and had two sons and later became a foster parent to three children.

Congratulations to Jane Lee Olinger for her service to the community and her inspiration to the young people she works with. Past years' recipients of the Martin Luther King, Jr. SPIRIT AWARD include Ludrenia Hagans Shepherd in 2019 and Steven Jones in 2020.