State Honoree

Jibril McCaster, 17, of Elsmere, Ky., a senior at Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger, began organizing a free annual summer basketball camp four years ago for elementary school students who could not otherwise afford to go to camp, teaching them not only basketball fundamentals, but good sportsmanship, team building, and how to make healthy lifestyle choices as well. Jibril started his camp after his mother told him the family could not afford to send him to basketball camp. He had just made the school team and had looked forward to attending camp at the local college. "I was devastated," he recalled. "Knowing how basketball helped me, I wanted to help other kids who could not afford camp."Jibril enlisted the help of his mother in applying for a grant and soliciting sponsors for the project. His stepfather found a site to hold the camp and agreed to supervise. Meanwhile, Jibril recruited his teammates to help run the camp and assigned tasks to each of them. He also invited city officials and coaches and players from Northern Kentucky University to attend the camp every year to speak to the young players about the importance of working as a team, developing good character, and giving back to the community. Since its inception, more than 400 young players have benefited from Jibril's camp. "Hearing the kids say that this is the best or only camp they've been to, and that they love it, makes me feel good about volunteering and makes it worthwhile!" said Jibril.