IN THE NEWS
County Tourism’ s Travis Shortt, the Master of Ceremonies of the event, is pictured alongside Coach Roy Bowling. | PHOTOS BY MADISON NANTZ
Donna Baker, field representative for US Senator Mitch McConnell, read from the congressional record which Sen. McConnell has entered into the Library of Congress as a tribute to the Sheppard family. In the congressional record, McConnell praises the Sheppard family for their many accomplishments, but also acknowledges the good they have done for the community outside of their basketball talents.
“ While basketball certainly runs deep in their blood, serving Kentucky is just as a much of the Sheppard DNA. As young parents, Jeff and Stacey established the Backpack Program, an organization that prepares bagged lunches for hungry
44 Laurel County School Directory children across Laurel County. The Sheppards’ charitable work for their church and their hometown and Stacey’ s perseverance through battling breast cancer set an endearing example in giving and helping others,” McConnell wrote.
The Sheppard family then joined Baker on stage to receive the congressional record.
Congressman Hal Rogers— represented by his communications director Danielle Smoot— also entered a tribute to mark the significance of both the Sheppard family and the legacy of basketball in Laurel County.
“ I rise today to celebrate the growing basketball legacy in London,
Kentucky, now headlined by North Laurel High School graduate Reed Sheppard who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, inspiring young athletes across the bluegrass state,” Congressman Rogers wrote.
He also noted the character of the Sheppards, highlighting that Stacey Sheppard founded the Laurel County Backpack Club and operated it for 16 years, along with service on the board of directors for Operation UNITE.
Similarly, Jeff Sheppard— who, like his wife and son, is a former University of Kentucky Wildcat— founded and led Operation UNITE’ s“ Shoot Hoops, Not Drugs” basket-