During the month of June, the staff, faculty, and students of Ross Medical Education Center in Owensboro worked hard to collect items for Trooper Island. Trooper Island is a camp developed by the Kentucky State Police as part of a long range program of public service to the area youth between the ages 10-12. Each trooper from the 16 post areas gets the opportunity to invite children that would otherwise likely not have the chance to go to a summer camp. The camp does not charge campers to attend and is geared towards enriching each child’s life and helping them to develop a healthy self-image.
Each year the camp creates a list of items that are needed to provide a successful summer camp experience for the kids. This was not the first year that the campus has been involved in helping Trooper Island make a difference for kids. They participated last year as well, and last year the students donated items such as flip flops, ear plugs, swimming goggles, and suntan lotion. This year some of the needs were different, so students donated over 200 rolls of toilet paper to the camp.
In conjunction with their drive and donation to Trooper Island, they further celebrated their local heroes by hosting their 2nd Annual Hero Day Event. In early July they invited everyday local heroes to come to campus for a visit. Some of these heroes included Kentucky State Troopers, Yellow Ambulance, Daviess County Fire and Rescue, and Air Evac Lifeteam. Each agency had vehicles and equipment available for students and public to see up close.
Assistant Campus Director of Education Tara Ford was able to work it out with the Air Evac Lifeteam to land directly in the campus’ parking lot! Students, faculty, staff, and their children got to talk to various agencies and get a first hand look into what their local heroes do on a daily basis. Campus Director LaTasha Shemwell shared, “it was nice to see what our local heroes do on a daily basis and thank them for their service to our community!” Everyone on the campus loved being a part of these events that recognized men and women that make a huge difference to the community and are often underappreciated or overlooked. They cannot wait till next year’s event!
If you are interested in learning more about or supporting the efforts of Trooper Island, visit their Facebook page or their website at http://kentuckystatepolice.org/island.html.