2018 Rogers Scholar Malinda Cox of Elliott County and a couple of volunteers stand in front of some of the bags of trash and debris collected in a lake cleanup project last fall on Grayson Lake.

2018 Rogers Scholar Malinda Cox of Elliott County and community volunteers picked up 22 bags of trash and debris at three separate locations on Grayson Lake.

Cox, a graduate of The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Scholars program and a junior at Elliott County High School, organized a lake cleanup last fall for her Rogers Scholars community service project.

She and a group of volunteers picked up trash and debris at Gimlet, Caney Boat Ramp, and Stark Road. These three areas are heavily used by tourists in and around Grayson Lake.

“This was a very rewarding project,” Cox said. “It showed me how much trash was really in my community and how easy it was to change. It taught me that whether it’s five or 500 people, you can make a difference.”

The project was made possible through a partnership with Elliott County Judge-Executive Carl Fannin, Elliott County Fiscal Court, and Elliott County High School student volunteers.

“It is so nice to see young people taking time out of their busy day to clean up the community,” said local resident Stacy Flannery.

The 22 bags of trash and debris collected in the cleanup effort were transported to the county garage for disposal.

Cox is the daughter of Frank and Evelyn Morgan.