The Friday Finish - Behavioral Health Service Grows - Archery, Basketball Accolades - Coca Cola Steps Up - Jake Inspires Dog House Build
- Tim Crawford
- Jan 16
- 5 min read
January 16, 2026
Behavioral Health Community Service Grows
Tracy Nolan and the Community Outreach staff at Red Bird Mission are always looking for ways to bring needed services to the people coming for assistance. Mountain Comprehensive Care Center (MCCC) leased office space in Red Bird Mission’s Schaeffer Building on the Queendale Campus a couple of years ago to help fill the gap of behavioral health services. This week MCCC began partnering with Red Bird Mission through the provision of transportation services for Red Bird Mission Elderly Ministries.
Janet Prater, MCCC Southeast Director, said,
“We love that community. Our staff loves the Red Bird Mission staff because they love their people.”
Kathy Gilliam, MCCC Regional Coordinator for Clay, Jackson and Lee Counties, said that the dynamic relationship between MCCC staff and Red Bird Mission staff is responsible for the addition of the transportation services and a new therapeutic rehabilitation program offering for people living in the Red Bird Mission service area.
Kathy said,
“Our community services are here to serve this area through building behavioral health capacity.”
Gilliam went on to give credit to their staff - Crystal Johnson, Therapist, and the support team of Kayla Wilson and Lois Hobbs - for the success of the MCCC community service programs in the Red Bird area. She emphasized the importance of the staff and community services expansion saying,
“We couldn’t have done this without their dedication. In fact, we will be looking for more staff to continue meeting the behavioral health needs of this community.”
Chiefs Win Tourney, Belcher Named to All-A District Tournament Team
Saturday was a day of honors for Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) student athletes. The Red Bird Chiefs, RBCS’s National Archery in Schools Program archery team, took the top trophy in the high school division at the East Bernstadt Independent Schools 10M Tournament on Saturday. The Chiefs finished in 1st Place while individuals Braxton Asher, Bella Smith, Marcus Adams, Aiden Smallwood, and Keira Walker brought home medals for finishing in the top 10 in each of their age divisions!
The RBCS boys basketball team also competed Saturday in district play of the 2026 edition of the Kentucky All-A Basketball Tournament held at Oneida Baptist Institute. Landon Belcher was named to the All-A District Team for his team high 21 points against Middlesboro.
Coca Cola Steps Up for Red Bird Chiefs
When we started dreaming about hosting our first National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) archery tournament at Red Bird Christian School, the budget felt bigger than our little school. The idea to reach out to Coca‑Cola of Middlesboro came from my fellow coach, Kelton Adams, who has built a strong partnership with them over the years.
I’ll be honest – asking for sponsorship to cover our tournament fees felt like a shot in the dark, but my optimistic heart said "take the shot." So I sat down and wrote a heartfelt letter, shared why this sport means so much to our students and to me, added in a few photos of our kids on the line, and hoped for the best. The dream of hosting the first archery tournament became a reality when Kelton walked in and said, “They brought us the check in person. We have the sponsorship.”
Coca‑Cola of Middlesboro has been a faithful partner to Red Bird Mission for many years. Their donations of Coca‑Cola products to our Community Store and sponsorship of past school events have helped us serve families in one of the most economically challenged areas of Appalachia.
We are grateful for the way they consistently invest in our students and our community, and now that investment has grown to an even bigger way. This archery event will allow us to welcome up to 300 archers, along with their coaches, families, and fans, from schools across the region. Coca‑Cola of Middlesboro stepped up as the presenting sponsor for this inaugural tournament and provided a generous donation of Coca‑Cola products for our concession stand throughout the event. Their support helps us cover the many costs that come with hosting a state‑qualifying archery tournament and allows us to offer a warm Red Bird welcome to every visiting team and family who walks through our gym doors.
In return for their support, we are honored to feature Coca‑Cola as our presenting sponsor for this milestone event. This sponsorship is an excellent opportunity to recognize Coca‑Cola of Middlesboro as a key supporter of youth, education, and healthy recreation in southeastern Kentucky. Every chilled drink handed across the counter during the tournament represents a local business choosing to invest in our students.
Red Bird has always relied on strong partners who believe in giving local students a chance to aim higher. The sponsorship from Coca‑Cola of Middlesboro not only launches our first NASP state‑qualifying tournament, but also helps us build a lasting tradition of archery excellence here in the Red Bird Valley. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Coca‑Cola of Middlesboro for standing beside our mission and helping our student‑archers take aim at new goals, on and off the range.
- Kayla Mae Smith, Development Gifts & Communications Staff
Jake Inspires Dog House Build
The trailer load of items arrived Tuesday at Red Bird Mission from middle Tennessee that included school supplies, winter coats and dog houses! Volunteers from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church included three dog houses in their delivery. Jake, born in a Kentucky holler and now living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, inspired a group of Vacation Bible School (VBS) attendees to make life a little warmer for a few four-legged Kentucky residents this winter.
Karen Alexander, a team member working on the Red Bird Build Project several years ago, rescued Jake on one of her trips with crews assembling new houses in the Red Bird service area. As part of St. Mark’s outreach team, Karen works with Rev. Sally Millsap, Pastor of Discipleship Action, at First United Methodist Church (1st UMC), Murfreesboro.
Last year, the 5th graders at 1st UMC learned at VBS about the church’s local, national and international mission partnerships through hands-on projects relating to each partner. When it came time to choose a national mission project, Jake’s rescue story from the Red Bird area was something that the kids could easily connect with rural Appalachian needs and mission.
Sally shared,
“As we brainstormed how to incorporate Red Bird Mission, we wanted our students to be able to build something and have a ‘work camp’ type experience.
We were inspired by the St. Mark’s UMC Red Bird dog, ‘Jake’, and all the dogs of all the homeowners over the years, so we decided to have them build 3 dog houses out at Rev. Drew Shelley’s barn. They hammered and used screwdrivers - many for the first time!
We concluded our build with a visit to St. Mark’s to meet the famous Jake in person!”
Tracy Nolan, Red Bird Community Outreach Director, worked with Principal Jennifer Wilder at Red Bird Christian School to identify three families with “outside dogs” to help their pets be warmer this winter. Tracy said that the families picked up the new houses Tuesday afternoon, and shared a picture of one of the lucky canines, Star, giving immediate approval of the nice home.