PRIDE Volunteers Knock Out Litter for Generations

Statement

By Congressman Hal Rogers

One of the missions of PRIDE is improving environmental education in Southern and Eastern Kentucky. Each April, our region gets a hands-on lesson. I have talked to dozens of volunteers who admit they used to throw soda cans or snack wrappers out the window, until they started volunteering with PRIDE to pick up that same garbage. And with 16 years under our belts, the message is now spreading to each generation.

In McCreary County, three generations of one family joined together to volunteer during the Highway 27 Spring Clean-up. Jo Jo Stephens rallied together her mother, Faye Hatfield; her aunt, Betty Hatfield; and her children, George, Josie, and Casey Stephens to pick up litter this year. Not only did they help collect 220 bags of trash in McCreary County, but Betty Hatfield also won the award for being the oldest volunteer at the age of 88. Additionally, her son, Casey designed the 2013 volunteer t-shirts and came up with this year's slogan, "Be a PRIDE Champion: Knock Out Litter." Jo Jo Stephens' family is an inspiration and adds a whole new meaning to the PRIDE we have in this region. It's examples of generational change like this, which will carry PRIDE in our region for the long haul.

Each and every PRIDE Spring Clean-up volunteer deserves great recognition for being a part of restoring beauty along our roadways and lakesides in Southern and Eastern Kentucky. The clean-up totals are just starting to roll in, but I'm pleased to announce more than 7,300 bags of trash were removed in eight clean-up events alone. Way to go!

It is such an honor to be a part of this great region. When other leaders ask how we've cleaned up our mountains, I point to the photos of volunteers in my office and share stories about people like Jo Jo Stephens and her family who are making the difference. Congratulations on another successful PRIDE Spring Cleanup!

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