Rogers Explorers serve Williamsburg with PRIDE

Students learning to be future leaders of southern and eastern Kentucky got a hands-on lesson in community service on June 5.
The group of 34 middle-school graduates volunteered to pick up trash along HWY 92 in Williamsburg, around Walmart and Kentucky Splash Water Park. In two hours, they collected 25 bags of trash.
The service project ended their first day at the University of the Cumberlands in The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Explorers program.
Rogers Explorers spend three days and two nights on a college campus developing their leadership skills, while exploring their interests in some of today’s top in-demand careers.
Through hands-on experiments and classroom instruction, students are encouraged to begin building their future careers in math, science and technology.
Students apply as eighth graders and attend during the summer before the start of their freshman year.
Their service project in Williamsburg was part of the program’s goal of encouraging a long-term commitment to the students’ communities.
The cleanup was arranged by PRIDE, which is southern and eastern Kentucky’s environmental cleanup and education initiative.
“It is rewarding to partner with The Center to provide service opportunities for the Rogers Explorers every summer,” said PRIDE’s Tammie Wilson.
“You feel good about our region’s future when you spend time with these up-and-coming leaders, especially when you see them catching the spirit of volunteerism,” Wilson said.
The Center and PRIDE were created by Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-5) to assist communities with creating opportunities for young people. PRIDE’s role is to promote personal responsibility for the environment. The Center addresses several facets of community development, including enlightening Kentucky’s next generation of community and business leaders.
For more information about the Rogers Explorers program, contact Delaney Stephens at 606-677-6000 or email youth@centertech.com.
The PRIDE web site is www.kypride.org.