UK Men's Basketball joins Lexington Rescue Mission's 'Summer Party'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington Rescue Mission hosted a Summer Party, and the Kentucky Men's Basketball team joined in!

The Wildcats scooped ice cream, played one-on-one, helped guests shoot their shots, had a water balloon fight, signed autographs, and took pictures.

Incoming freshman Jasper Johnson returned from winning gold with the FIBA U19 team and shared how nice it was to attend his first volunteer event with the Cats this summer.

"A couple people have came up to me and said that quote, 'K-Y tile I die.' But it's great to know how many fans we really have. And even though some people are not as fortunate as we are, they still really care about us," Johnson said.

"It's a great opportunity to be able to come and give back to them and hear their stories and stuff and talk to them. They may not be able to meet players and stuff like that or go to the games, but they still tap in and watch and care about our lives. So it's fun."

The whole purpose of the summer party is to provide guests with a fun experience while also offering them socks, water bottles, and hygiene products.

"We wanted to have fun and provide some relief for our guests who are struggling with homelessness, who are on the streets in the heat every day," said Laura Carr, the Executive Director at Lexington Rescue Mission.

"But also just to bring some hope and joy because sometimes it's just really hard to struggle through your day-to-day. But having the stars of our city here to be able to celebrate and just have some fun here together helps our guests to know that they are valued."

Visit lexingtonrescue.org/get-involved to learn more about volunteering.

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