Contest is part of biannual community clean-up event
Thirteen local students were recently awarded prizes for their dedication to keeping Somerset and Pulaski County clean.
The students participated in the spring Triple Bag Challenge, a week-long contest of the Somerset-Pulaski County Clean Sweep — the community’s biannual clean-up event — created to encourage students to become good stewards of the environment.
Students who picked up three bags of trash from roadways in the community received a chance to win one of several prizes — including two $500 cash prizes, gift cards, Cumberland Lake Shell gas cards, and SomerSplash Waterpark passes. Participants were asked to post before and after photos of their cleanup efforts to Facebook and/or Instagram using #spctriplesweep. The contest was open to all elementary through high school students living in Somerset and Pulaski County.
Spring Triple Bag Challenge winners include:
- Charlie Adams, Hopkins Elementary
- Kaitlyn Adams, Pulaski Elementary
- Hunter Dick, Meece Middle
- John Lackey, Meece Middle
- Hannah Lackey, Meece Middle
- Charleston Girdler, Meece Middle
- Channing Girdler, Hopkins Elementary
- Alexis Baugh, Meece Middle
- Macey Hudson, Pulaski County High School (not pictured)
- Dillon Johnson, Southwestern High School (not pictured)
- Lacie Johnson, Southern Middle School (not pictured)
- Zoey Teeter, Nancy Elementary (not pictured)
- Audrey Teeter, Southwestern High School (not pictured)
Somerset-Pulaski County Economic Development Authority (SPEDA) President and CEO Chris Girdler congratulated these young people for their love of their community and their decision to serve by keeping it beautiful.
“I am so proud of these young people for giving their time toward this effort and taking pride in their community,” Girdler said. “At SPEDA, we believe it’s imperative that we do all we can to make a great impression on our visitors, promote personal responsibility, and teach our children and youth the importance of taking care of our environment. Enhancing the quality of life in our beautiful city and county and continuing Lake Cumberland’s legacy of being a national mecca for outdoor recreation are always top-of-mind.”
The Somerset-Pulaski County Clean Sweep is an initiative of SPEDA, Eastern KY Pride and six other organizations. Local businesses, residents and students pick up litter along U.S. 27, downtown Somerset streets, the Ky. 914 bypass and roadways near industrial parks every spring and fall, joining what is Eastern KY PRIDE’s largest event across 42 counties. More than 1,000 people participate annually.
Somerset-Pulaski County Clean Sweep partners also include Lake Cumberland Tourism, the City of Somerset Tourism, Waste Connections, the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, the Pulaski County Recycling Center, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Girdler thanked these organizations for their partnership and support.
“The Clean Sweep is an excellent example of the kind of success we can have when we work together,” Girdler said. “An extra special thanks to Danny Masten at the Pulaski County Recycling Center for his passion and hard work, as well as Eastern KY Pride for their continued efforts in beautifying Somerset and Pulaski County over the years.”
For more information about the Somerset-Pulaski County Clean Sweep or to get involved, call (606) 677-6150 or email pride@centertech.com.
Triple Bag Challenge winners
