The Center for Rural Development
Visit us on the Web at:
www.centertech.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Elizabeth Burton
Director of Business Development &
Public Relations
The Center for Rural Development
P: 606-677-6155
eburton@centertech.com
2292 South Highway 27, Suite
300Somerset, Kentucky 42501
Telephone: (606) 677-6000
Facsimile: (606) 677-6010
Web Site: www.centertech.com
Nearly 800 Pulaski County students will learn why “Life is
Cool” at The Center for Rural Development
Pulaski County Schools, in partnership with the Donate Life Kentucky Coalition, Lake
Cumberland Regional Hospital (LCRH), GE Lighting and The Center for Rural Development,
will give students a rare hands-on learning experience that is sure to be memorable for years to
come.
Nearly 800 fourth-grade students in Pulaski County will take part in “Life is Cool,” an
interactive educational program, on March 12-13 at The Center for Rural Development in
Somerset. The program, sponsored by the Donate Life Kentucky Coalition, is developed
specifically for fourth- and fifth-grade students, and offered four times per year.
Pulaski County Schools is only the second school system in the state to implement a county-wide
initiative with this program. Based on the theme of “Healthy Choices,” students will learn about
food and nutrition, physical activity, choices that affect health and body, and organ donation and
transplantation.
Participating students in this one-of-a-kind workshop will discover and be empowered to make
good life choices about their health, and will observe first-hand how every choice can potentially
affect the lives of others through organ and tissue donation.
"The program, ‘Life is Cool,” is without a doubt, one of the most important things I've ever been
associated with in both my professional and personal career,” said Charlotte Wong, community
development and public education coordinator with Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA).
“This program is a hands-on learning experience that the children of Somerset will remember,
draw on, and hopefully live by for the rest of their lives.”
“And, should they make good choices and live long productive lives, then hopefully what they
learn through this program will encourage them to be an organ donor and give life to another
person,” she added. “That will be one of the greatest gifts they will ever give.”
For several weeks prior to the “Life is Cool” culminating workshop event, fourth-grade teachers
in Pulaski County will provide instruction using specific “Life is Cool” curriculum designed by
KODA that will form a basis for workshop learning and activities. The lessons, taught in the
classroom, will describe specific organs, the function of those organs in the body, and how
physical activity, food, drink and sleep affect organs and health. The lessons will also
incorporate how every day choices of diet and exercise impact lives today, tomorrow, and years
from now.
Steve Butcher, superintendent of Pulaski County Schools, is excited about Pulaski County’s
elementary schools participating in the “Life is Cool” initiative.
“I am honored to be a school system chosen for this program,” Butcher said. “If our students are
taught life skills on how to take care of their bodies, and then understand the importance of
giving back by being a potential organ donor, it is a lesson that is very valuable and impactful.”
“The principals and fourth grade teachers in Pulaski’s schools have embraced this opportunity to
teach students the ‘Life is Cool’ curriculum over the next few weeks which covers systems of the
body and the lifelong effects of taking care of their health,” said Lynn Ashbrook, director of
Pulaski County Schools Gifted Education Programs.
During the hands-on, interactive two-hour program, students will rotate in groups through 10
individual learning stations, each concentrated on a specific organ or tissue in the body. Students
will learn about the major transplantable organs of the body, the cornea (eye) and blood, and the
function of those organs and tissues, as well as life choices that promote good health.
Using experiential learning techniques, students will participate in activities like listening
through a stethoscope and simulated corneal blindness. Because of similarity to human organs in
their anatomy, many of the learning stations will use pig organs to provide visual support for the
presentations. The organs allow children to see how they work, offering a much more in-depth
understanding than a photograph in a textbook, information on the internet, or a poster on the
classroom wall.
Students can see, touch and ask questions. For example, presenters at the learning station for
lungs will be able to inflate the lungs, and students will see what happens when humans inhale
and exhale. The students will be able to see what actual “trans-fat” in food looks like and how it
affects heart and kidney function. Students will also see a demonstration of the filtering process
of the liver and how it is affected by personal choices like smoking, drinking and drug use (both
prescription and recreational).
Volunteer medical personnel from KODA, LCRH, Somerset Community College nursing
students, and Pulaski County Area Technology Center Health Occupations Students of America
(HOSA) will be presenting using an organ vest which has removable organs and tissues to give
visual assistance to students understanding organ and tissue transplantation.
“Both clinical and non-clinical team members at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital are
looking forward to participating in this exciting education program,” said Sheryl Glasscock,
DNP, RN, and chief nursing officer at LCRH. “This is a wonderful opportunity to make a lifelong impact on the future health of a generation, and we’re honored to be a part of it.”
“The health sciences and HOSA students are excited to have the opportunity to assist with the
‘Life is Cool’ event with KODA,” added Margaret Boils, RN, BSN and health sciences
instructor for Pulaski County Area Technology Center. “I feel this will not only give the HOSA
students experience as leaders, but will also help them have hands-on experience and see the
body systems in a realistic perspective.”
The “Life is Cool” program provides a wealth of information about organ donation. Each year,
organ donation can save the lives of over 120,000 people on the transplant waiting list.
Currently, 800 of those on the transplant waiting list live in Kentucky. Organ donation has also
touched lives in the local community. Two students from the Pulaski County School district are
organ donor recipients, as well as a toddler of a Pulaski County educator.
“As a mother of a multi-organ transplant recipient, I know the importance of a healthy lifestyle
and how that affects our organs,” said Somerset resident Laurie Goff. “What makes ‘Life Is
Cool’ truly beyond cool is that it turns health into a fun, interactive form of education that helps
kids understand why health is so important.”
A key component of the program is learning that by placing your name on the Kentucky Organ
Donor Registry at www.donatelifeky.org, a person is declaring their wish to be an organ donor.
Further information about organ/tissue donation can be found by going to
www.kyorgandonor.org.
All of these opportunities, including teacher lessons, student workbooks, and the “Life Is Cool”
program, will be offered to fourth- grade students in Pulaski County Schools free of charge
through the generosity of LCRH, GE Lighting and the Donate Life Kentucky Coalition which
consists of: Kentucky Circuit Clerks Trust for Life, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates, Kentucky
Blood Center, University of Kentucky and Louisville Eye Banks, University of Kentucky
HealthCare, University of Louisville HealthCare, Kidney Health Alliance of Kentucky, The
National Kidney Foundation of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Medical Center-Transplant
Center, Jewish Hospital Transplant Center, National Marrow Donor Program, Liver Foundation,
Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services, American Red Cross, Second Chance at Life,
and Life Center Organ Donor Network.
“I embrace the opportunities to partner with community agencies for the benefit of Pulaski’s
students,” said Superintendent Butcher. Ashbrook agreed. “It has been a delight to collaborate
with KODA, LCRH, GE Lighting, and The Center for Rural Development to bring this
wonderful program to Pulaski County Schools,” she said.
The “Life is Cool” program, although being offered to fourth-grade students, is an opportunity
for entire families to have conversations about health, well-being and organ donation.
“This is an important opportunity for GE Lighting to support education in the local community,”
said Rhonda Phelps, human resource specialist with GE Lighting-Somerset Glass Plant. “The
‘Life is Cool’ program focuses on the importance of taking care of our body, and parallels with
GE’s ‘Health Ahead’ program, which focuses on taking care of the body by choosing healthy
foods and physical activity.”
“The Center for Rural Development is pleased to be the host venue for the ‘Life is Cool’
workshop,” said Elizabeth Burton, director of business development and public relations. “The
Center is focused on improving the quality of life for those that we serve. What better way to
advance this mission than by partnering with other organizations who will teach students and
families about healthy life choices.”
Tammy Portwood, gifted education specialist with Pulaski County Schools, said the workshop
will provide a unique learning experience.
“This program is a uniquely visceral exhibit for students in Pulaski County Schools. It is a
tremendous educational opportunity for students, parents and the entire community,” she said.
“The Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) is proud to offer this program, free of charge to
the children of Somerset,” said Wong. “We are grateful to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital
and GE Lighting for their support in creating a positive experience and education for the children
of their community. This program would not have been possible without their support and the
support of The Center for Rural Development."
Students learn about the functions of a liver.
Students observe lungs inflating and deflating.