As part of our upcoming awards ceremony, the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation announced today that Friends of Coal will be the signature sponsor of the Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards. These awards will be presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 6 pm EST in the Bluegrass Ballroom at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky. This event will recognize the best in high school basketball from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
“On behalf of the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation and thousands of Lions across this great Commonwealth, it is truly an honor to welcome Friends of Coal as the title sponsor of the 2015 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Banquet,” said Noel Hardwick, Immediate Past President of the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation. “Sponsors like Friends of Coal help us generate the financial resources that our Foundation needs to advance its mission of preventing blindness and restoring sight.”
“Friends of Coal has a strong connection to athletics in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and this signature sponsorship continues our commitment,” said Bill Bissett, President of the Kentucky Coal Association. “While we wish all of our young athletes continued success, this recognition of the very best of Kentucky’s high school basketball players is a great way to also support a wonderful charity like the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.”
The Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award was started by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in 1954 for male athletes and in 1976 for the female athletes. It is considered the most prestigious award for any high school basketball athlete in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Some notable athletes who have received this award include Vernon Hatton, Donna Murphy, King Kelly Coleman, Ralph Richardson, Harry Todd, Billy Ray Lickert, Butch Beard, Jeff Mullins, Westley Unseld, Mike Casey, Jimmy Dan Conner, Allen Houston, J.R. VanHoose, Darrell Griffith, Allen Huston, John Pelphrey, Scott Hundley, Winston Bennett, Darius Miller, and Chris Lofton.
To learn more information about the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, please visit http://kentuckylionseyefoundation.org. To learn more information about the Kentucky Friends of Coal campaign and license plate, please visit http://www.friendsofcoalky.com.