Former UK standout Darius Miller hopes to make The Alumni Center a spot for different community events. (The Alumni Center Photo)
Since he’s a Kentucky native who was a high school star at Mason County and then part of a national championship at Kentucky, Darius Miller “understands how much the university and the basketball players” mean to this state.
That’s why he wanted to do something to not only let him give back but also enable others to help and that led to The Alumni Center, formerly the Sports Center, hosting a Holiday Toy Drive & Community Night on Dec. 19 from 5-9 p.m. in Lexington. Miller, one of the owners of the Alumni Center, says families across central Kentucky are encouraged to drop off new toys, slightly used toys or gift cards valued at $20 or under—including teen-friendly items like gift sets and gift cards—to benefit Sunrise Children’s Services.
Everyone who donates will be able to enter a holiday raffle featuring prizes such as gift cards from local partners and tickets to the Kentucky versus. Mississippi State basketball game. There will also be photos with Santa Claus, 3-point contest, free hot chocolate and cookies/ open areas for kids to play basketball and volleyball, and more giveaways.
Miller hopes to have other former UK basketball players/athletes involved in the toy drive.
“The community and fan base have made an impact in our lives and been a huge part of pushing us to the success that we had while we were at the University of Kentucky.,” Miller said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “I think it’s very important for us to give back to the community and be a part of the community that supported us.
“This is the way that I feel like I can do it. We’ve been fortunate to be able to take over the space out at the Alumni Center, so I want to be able to bring as many community events as we can and help the youngsters to have a place for family friendly events and experiences.”
Miller said Central Bank has helped immensely with the project already.
“Anybody is welcome. All that we ask is that you bring a toy, drop a toy off,” Miller said. “We’re located by Fayette Mall. It was called the Sports Center before and that’s still the name up there now but we are chasing it to Alumni Center. We want to make it a hug for alumni from many different sports to be able to get involved with the community.
“Our main focal points are basketball and volleyball. We got a lot of training camps, tournaments going on, but we also want to make this a hub for the community to be able to come out and have some cool events, some different community types of events. There are some other shows and events we’re planning for 2026 that we’re really excited about.”
Miller said anyone with questions or wanting to help with the toy drive can click here for contact information.
“We just want to make sure kids have a good Christmas,” Miller said. “Please don’t hesitate to reach out if we can help because helping kids is what matters.”
