 Lake Cumberland recently served as an outdoor classroom for the future leaders of southern and eastern Kentucky. To gain first-hand experience with community service, 60 teenagers in the Rogers Scholars program picked up litter near Conley Bottom Marina on July 1 and July 15. In all, they collected 84 bags of trash and 13 tires.
“These young people now have a greater understanding of why and how to take care of a community treasure, like Lake Cumberland,” said Jessica Melton, Associate Director of Education and Training for The Center for Rural Development, which sponsors the Rogers Scholars program. “They were chosen to be Rogers Scholars because they have shown great potential to lead our region in the future, and we believe service projects, like this PRIDE cleanup, will build their commitment to their communities.”
“That first step as a volunteer may lead to a lifetime of service,” said Karen Engle of PRIDE, which organized the cleanup event. “In a region as beautiful as ours, volunteering to care for the environment is easy. With this experience at Lake Cumberland under their belt, the Rogers Scholars can jump into cleaning natural attractions in their area.”
The students, who will be high school juniors this fall, were from 42 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky. They were selected through a highly competitive process for the Rogers Scholars program, which is held at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset. The intensive, one-week summer course emphasizes technological skills development and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, leadership and commitment to rural Kentucky.
The Center for Rural Development and PRIDE were created by Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-5) to encourage and assist communities with creating long-term opportunities for their young people. PRIDE’s role is to promote personal responsibility for the environment. The Center addresses several facets of community development, including encouraging Kentucky’s next generation of community and business leaders. As part of its youth development mission, the Center created the Rogers Scholars program in 1998.
For more information about the Rogers Scholars program, please visit www.rogersscholars.com.
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