Clay County, IL-(Effingham Radio)- What happens when you take 71 students, from 27 Illinois electric and telephone cooperatives, to join more than 1,800 peers from across the United States? You get the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth to Washington Tour.
Five students represented Clay Electric Co-operative during a trip to Washington, D.C. from June 8-15 as part of the annual Youth Tour.
The students toured Capitol Hill and met with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman John Shimkus. The 2018 Youth Tour delegates from Clay Electric included (L-R) Cali Wilson, Flora HS; Congressman Shimkus; Nick Miller, Clay City HS; Collin Moseley, Flora HS; Vivian Duquaine, Flora HS; and Angel Keller, Full Armor Christian Academy of Louisville.
They also visited historical and cultural sites including Arlington National Cemetery, the Supreme Court, Newseum, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, a variety of memorials and the U.S. Capitol. Among fun activities the students enjoyed were the Marine Corps Sunset Parade, the Smithsonian Museums and an assembly of Youth Tour participants from across the nation.
During the trip, Collin Moseley was chosen by his peers to represent Illinois on the Youth Leadership Council (YLC) of the NRECA. The YLC is a year-long appointment, and Moseley will represent Clay Electric and the state’s cooperatives at national and state meetings and events in the year ahead.
“Youth Tour is a great opportunity that changes these students’ lives,” says Ed VanHoose, executive vice president/general manager of Clay Electric. “This experience helps prepare them for their futures. After touring our nation’s capital, meeting congressional representatives and learning firsthand how our government works, they return home with valuable knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime.”
Since 1964, the nation’s cooperative electric and telephone utilities have sponsored more than 60,000 high school students to visit Washington, D.C. To learn more about the Youth to Washington Tour, go to www.youthtour.coop.
Clay Electric Cooperative is a member of Touchstone Energy – an alliance of 750 local, consumer-owned electric utilities around the country. Clay Electric Co-operative serves more than 3,238 meters over 894 miles of line in parts of Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Richland and Wayne counties. For more information visitwww.ceci.coop.