Family, friends celebrate Hopkins’ Jefferson Award
Family and friends of Lewes’ Kenny Hopkins gathered recently at Nassau Valley Vineyards to watch him receive a Jefferson Award for outstanding community service.
Maxine Bentzel of WBOC-TV announced and presented the award. WBOC partners with the national Jefferson Award organization to select award recipients locally, based on nominations from people in the community. George Naegele nominated Hopkins. He said Hopkins deserved the award because of his generous spirit exhibited daily in his work as manager of Holly Lake Campground and because of his successful fundraising efforts.
Speaking to those gathered for the presentation, Naegele said Hopkins has donated countless hours to the World Championship Punkin Chunkin organization, Long Neck Business Association and to Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary Club’s community service projects. ”He has raised thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the Sussex County Cancer Survivors Fund, and for Ducks Unlimited’s waterfowl conservation initiatives,” he said. Hopkins devotes many hours each year to Ducks Unlimited’s Greenwing shooting events which help introduce young waterfowlers to safe and responsible shooting and hunting, and also assists the Boy Scouting program in Sussex.
“This is all about ordinary people doing extraordinary things for their communities,” said Bentzel. She said the program has been in place for about 10 years. A local panel of judges including previous recipients selects each year’s new recipients. One person from each year’s recipients receives a nomination for recognition at the national level.
Hopkins said his interest in helping cancer victims rises in part from the death of his father from pancreatic cancer. “My mother-in-law has also had cancer issues that are now in remission due to good treatment she has received,” said Hopkins. “I’m totally overwhelmed and amazed to receive this. When I first started talking about putting together a fundraiser at Holly Lake for the cancer society, my father-in-law [Bob Raley] told me that if I was going to donate my time I should make sure I went into it 110 percent. That’s what I try to do.”
Hopkins’ sister, Sandy Walker, chimed in to explain further why Hopkins does so much good for the community. “There’s a real little word that is not in Kenny’s vocabulary,” said Walker. “He doesn’t know how to say no.”
