“There is hope down the road, no matter how hopeless it may seem right now.” That is the main message that Darrell Hurst is trying to spread amongst local youth as Whitley County’s new opioid response coordinator.
As Whitley County Judge Executive Pat White, Jr. recently explained at a Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce member luncheon, funds that the county receives through the settlement of opioid litigation has helped in recent years to fund special programs and projects designed to battle opioid addiction in the community. Hurst’s job is the latest example of how the county is tackling the issue.
“This idea came out of conversations that I had with [Whitley County Public Schools] Superintendent John Siler about how to best steer kids on the wrong path into a better direction,” White said. “We spent a year or two looking for someone who had the skills to fit the job perfectly, and I think we found him.”
Hurst has been the pastor at New Zion Baptist Church in Williamsburg for the past 36 years. An Indiana native, he says that he can relate to the experience of being a troubled youth. After getting mixed up with the wrong crowd and making some bad decisions, he gave in to despair and found himself in a hopeless situation as a teenager. After finding salvation at age 18, however, he said that everything began to change for the better.
“I’ve been on the other side for many years now,” Hurst said. “But I can see where they are, and I feel for them. I think that I can be a help to them.”
As the county’s opioid response coordinator, Hurst’s daily goal is to reach young people where they are, engage with them, and try to show them that there is a better way to live than being trapped in addiction to drugs and alcohol.
“This job was created by Judge White because he had a burden for young people being mentored,” Hurst explained. “My son mentioned that the position was available, so I came in and filled out an application. They contacted me, had a board to interview me, and I got the job. I absolutely love it. The whole thing is about encouraging young people. Everything is positive, because a lot of young people don’t get much positive in their lives.”
Hurst visits schools throughout the county to meet with students on a weekly basis. He said that he wants to try and provide a consistent presence, and in his words, be “kind of like an extra papaw.”
“We have a good time, and talk,” Hurst said of his interactions with students. “It’s enjoyable to just do that.”
Over Christmas break, Hurst even got to make some home visits to meet parents, grandparents and/or foster parents of many of the kids that he is trying to develop relationships with. He said that plans are already being made for summer projects that will allow him to stay in touch when school goes out.
“Darrell has a real passion for this job,” White said of Hurst. “He is out there trying to build relationships with these kids and set a good example for them. We have a lot of kids who need a positive role model. They need somebody who can help guide them in the right direction.”
Another important aspect of Hurst’s position is serving as the chairperson for the Whitley County UNITE Coalition. This group, which has not met regularly in several years, is just now beginning to re-form and put some ideas together for how to further battle drug addiction in the county.
“Post COVID, that group kind of fell apart and hadn’t really re-established,” White said. “A lot of people have been really interested in the meetings that they’ve started having, and are coming up with ways to apply for grant money and do projects that will help steer kids in the right direction.”
Hurst said that he hopes to see things continue to grow and develop from here, adding that continued community support will be very important. To find out more about how to help, reach Hurst by e-mail at darrell.hurstwcfc@gmail.com or call (606) 549-6011.
