Courtney Love recognized for outstanding dedication to community service

@MaggieDavisKSR

Courtney Love is used to being recognized for helping his teammates on the field. Now, he’s being recognized for helping his community.

Love has just been named to the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of the most esteemed off-the-field honors in college football. Only 22 college football players received the honor this year. He was awarded the trophy based on his dedication to community service.

Love thought he was attending just another regularly-scheduled event with his mentees. But when he arrived at the park, he was surprised by the kids he mentors, plus some of his teammates, members of the UK athletics department and a representative from Allstate (plus a few dozen journalists).

The senior has spent countless hours volunteering with various organizations around Lexington, namely, Amachi. The program pairs “caring, positive adults with children and youth in the bluegrass who have one or both parents in state or federal prison or are affected by incarceration in some way.”

The program is especially important for Love, as he was impacted by incarceration as a teenager. At the age of eight, Love ran away from home due to a complicated relationship with his mother, and he wound up living with his grandmother and great-grandmother while his father was serving time in prison.

“In 21 years of being with UK athletics and nominating guys for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Courtney has probably been one of the most deserving athletes that we’ve had,” UK athletic’s Susan Lax said. “It was a pleasure to nominate him for this award. He’s one of the most selfless student athletes that we’ve ever had.”

Allstate has revamped the neighborhood basketball courts on Love’s behalf, relining the court and adding new goals with nets and new benches.

“It’s amazing because the kids are going to be able to come here and have a brand new court,” Love said. “They’ll be able to play with confidence and just do their thing.”

One thing is obvious: these kids love their mentor.

Well this is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/PWTlzxDexr

– Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisKSR) October 12, 2017

“Awesome,” is how one of the kids responded when asked to describe Love. “He’s fun and nice. And he has manners.”

Love and his teammates stuck around after the ceremony to play some basketball with the kids. Stephen Johnson, Nick Haynes, Naquez Pringle, Greg Hart and Alex Montgomery were all in attendance.