Cram The Cruiser 2017 Is Huge Success: Loads of School Supplies Coming To EC Schools

Darren Doyle, story, photos, and video:​​
The eleventh annual Edmonson County Cram the Cruiser local school supply drive was held today in Brownsville. The event is now held annually in conjunction with D93 and the Tony Rose Morning Show’s Stuff The Bus, which is in its 10th straight year and helps bring literally tons of school supplies of all kinds to area schools.

Cram the Cruiser is a complete team effort that’s coordinated by the Kentucky State Police, The Edmonson County Sheriff’s Office, Brownsville Police, Community Education, and Edmonson County School’s Family Resource and Youth Service Centers.

Volunteers set up this morning at 8am at the Minit Mart on South Main where a steady stream of donors stopped in, dropping off school supplies and making cash donations.

Event workers loaded up and moved over to the Family Dollar just up the street to begin the second leg of the drive where even more donors and volunteers stopped in to show their support.

Tony Rose was on hand to help local volunteers and explained the impact that local events like this have, and how they help Stuff the Bus.

"We use Edmonson County as an example when we're out talking to other counties and they say 'what can we do to get involved with Stuff the Bus?' I say, this is what they do in Edmonson County and they've been doing it for 11 years, and every year the partnership gets stronger, the community involvement gets stronger, it forms great relationships with us."

He said Edmonson County was known as the "gold standard" when it comes to raising school supplies.

"We want to bring that effort in to help the most kids and the most families as possible," said Rose.

​So why do so many organizations come together every year for the event? Community Education Director Lisa Whobrey summed things up the best.

"We do it for the kids," she said. "Nothing more, nothing else, we simply do it for the kids. We do it because we love our kids. The kids in Edmonson County, they're the best, and we want every child that comes on the first day of school to not have to worry about anything. This is why we do it."

Trooper Jeremy Hodges, the newly named KSP Public Affairs officer, was on hand all day, driving up in a 1949 Ford KSP Cruiser that was actually in service decades ago.

"The Kentucky State Police teams up the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office and the Brownsville Police each year as show of support in an effort to help our local students," he said. "It's also great for me to participate in my own home town with folks I know. It makes today even better for me, and we're proud of the work that's gone into this event."
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Today’s supplies will go to Stuff The Bus next week, then will be multiplied and delivered to Edmonson County Schools for the upcoming school year.