2010 Rogers Scholars graduate and Somerset High School junior Holly Bullock, fourth from left, donated a handmade blanket to U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05), sixth from left, and a total of 100 additional blankets to three Pulaski County agencies. From left are Mark Brenzel, chief executive officer at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital; Lauren Hayes, youth programs coordinator for The Center; Lonnie Lawson, president and CEO of The Center; Bullock; Somerset businessman Ward Correll; Rogers; and Doug Nelson, acting chief and major with the Somerset Police Department.
Newborn babies, sick children, and senior adults in Pulaski County all will stay a little bit warmer this winter thanks to a community service project completed by a 2010 graduate of The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Scholars youth leadership program.
Somerset High School junior Holly Bullock delivered 100 handmade blankets to three Pulaski County agencies on March 22 in a presentation before U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) at his District Congressional Office in Somerset.
Bullock also presented Rogers with a dark blue blanket that features a map of Kentucky with the inscription “5th Congressional District—Harold Rogers.”
The Center’s Rogers Scholars youth leadership program is named after Congressman Rogers and continues his goal that no young person should have to leave home to find his or her future.
“We are so proud of the work Holly is doing in Pulaski County,” Lonnie Lawson, president and CEO of The Center, said. “She is a remarkable young woman and her commitment to community service is what Rogers Scholars is all about—making a difference in the lives of people in Southern and Eastern Kentucky.”
The blankets, part of Bullock’s “Blanketing Pulaski County” Rogers Scholars community service project, have been donated to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department, and Somerset Police Department.
She said the idea grew out of her love for making blankets and a desire to serve others. More than 100 of Bullock’s closest friends recently got together to pitch in and complete the project, hosting a blanket-making day where they assembled the pieces for the finished products.
“The Rogers Scholars program showed me how important it is to give back to my community and how much I can affect others,” she said. “It was a good idea. Everyone loves blankets.”
Bullock also presented Somerset businessman Ward Correll with a personalized blanket for helping to donate funds to purchase materials for the blankets.
As the region’s next generation of leaders, graduates of Rogers Scholars program are required to complete a community service project in their home community.
“One of Rogers Scholars’ goals is to impact the youth in our region,” Lauren Hayes, youth programs coordinator for The Center, said. “We want our youth to realize their potential and provide them with opportunities to pursue their dreams in hope that they will return to the region.”
Rogers Scholars is a one-week summer leadership program for rising high school juniors selected from within The Center’s 42-county primary service area. The program builds leadership and entrepreneurship skills and provides scholarship opportunities for graduates, all while instilling in participants a desire to serve their home community and the region.
“It’s a very nice gift,” Mark Brenzel, chief executive officer at Somerset’s Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, said after receiving 50 of the donated blankets. “We will be using the blankets to give to some of our babies born at Lake Cumberland, our pediatric patients, and even some of our elderly patients.”
Bullock is the daughter of Mark and Joy Bullock of Somerset.
