Hazard woman awarded MLK Jr. Spirit Award

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Hazard native, Jane Lee Olinger, has been awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award for her community work in Eastern Kentucky.

The award was presented by the Southeast Kentucky African-American Museum and Cultural Center.

Olinger is the founder and director of the Community Sports League; a non-profit, summer basketball league in Hazard.

The CSL aims to give all kids in the area a chance to learn the game and stay active through the summer. Olinger says several of the kids in the league rely on it since they can not afford the often high price of joining a travel team. The CSL is free to play.

This isn’t the first time Olinger has been recognized for her work. In 2015, she won the Kentucky River AD Caregiver Award for her work with Foster Kids, and, in 2019, she was recognized at the Hazard-Perry Civic Night Banquet for her work with the CSL.

Olinger says she doesn’t do it for the attention, but for the kids.

“Just teach them you know... if you can learn the right thing, maybe you can do the right thing as you get older,” Olinger said.

Jane says she appreciates the help of her sister, brother-in-law and the community for keeping the Community Sports League running for more than 10 years.