BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Operation UNITE welcomed 128 future basketball stars to its 19th Annual Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp at Martin County High School on June 11. The young athletes spent three hours in the Cardinals gymnasium with 2012 NCAA Champion Jarrod Polson learning about a drug-free lifestyle and playing some basketball.
Attendees included kids from five different Kentucky counties and two different states.
In 2006, UNITE hosted its first free camp with two-time National Champion and former University of Kentucky Wildcats star Jeff Sheppard. Polson took over in 2017 after previously helping with the event.
The program aims to educate youth and adults in eastern Kentucky on the prevention of drug use. Forty-seven people attended the adult presentation.
Each youth participant was given a free signed basketball by Polson, a T-shirt, food, water and snacks.
Thirty-nine staff and volunteers helped to make the camp a success.
Two lucky kids’ names were drawn to win a basketball goal at the conclusion of camp: Dash Vanhoose of Martin County and Carly Short of Pike County.
“We’re trying to give hope to kids in the mountains. We do this by letting them have fun and providing a message to not do drugs at the same time,” UNITE president Tom Vicini said after the camp.
“The message goes out louder to the adults, but the kids soak that in, too. We’re seeing it in schools with our other programs. We do vaping, safety, drug use and some other things. Our prevention teams go out and kids are asking questions and interacting,” he continued.
Vicini took over the reins in 2023 after previously serving as the deputy director.
“We have kids turning their vapes into us,” he said. “UNITE is having a positive effect on their lives and that’s really what we want to do. We want them to know they’re cared for and valued and there is a better way to do things.”
Vicini aims to tear down generational drug use and provide a safe space for youth.
“Our goal is to change the culture,” he added. “We’re going to keep working hard at it.”
Polson, a homegrown Kentucky Wildcat, enjoys working with the UNITE program.
“I love what it stands for,” Polson said. “My dad is from Harlan County, so it’s fun for me to get back here in eastern Kentucky to spread the message and hang out with the kids.”
The former Cats star is excited to still be able to contribute to the state of Kentucky.
“I love getting to have a positive impact on the kids,” said Polson. “You get over 120 in one gym and the fact of getting them to listen at all has been great.”
Speaking on Martin County, he said, “The brand-new school has been really cool to be in. It’s been a good experience for me here.”
Sheldon Clark High School 2008 graduate Courtney Maynard is the prevention programs coordinator and was a vital part in bringing the camp back to Inez.
“Between our three major programs, we had over 16,000 kids we serviced from September to April,” Maynard shared.
She hopes to continue to serve the area when she assists with bringing the “On the Move” initiative to 7th-10th grade students later this year.
