News & Press
High school students from across the U.S. visited Washington D.C. during the National Rural Electric Cooperative Washington Youth Tour, held June 11-18. Of the 1,600 students that attended nationally, 111 were from Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs) across Georgia. Tri-County EMC, headquartered in Gray, sponsored two delegates from Jones County, Hunter Kimball and Makayla Schafer.
The Washington Youth Tour, celebrating 50 years of sponsoring students this year, stands as Georgia’s oldest leadership program for teens. The goal of the trip is to applaud the students for leading the way in their local communities and provide them a chance to see history come to life and to connect with other student leaders like themselves from across the country.
“Youth Tour is our way of saying ‘thank you for choosing to be a leader.’ We know in today’s world, it’s difficult to stand up for the right things, and these students do that every day,” said Gale Cutler, Georgia EMC’s Washington Youth Tour Director. “We’re delighted to give them this amazing opportunity.”
According to Kim Bonner, Communications Specialist at Tri-County EMC, the Youth Tour is a natural extension of EMCs’ role as contributors to their local communities and Georgia as a whole, providing leadership in education, school and youth programs, charitable giving and community support. “Electric co-ops do much more than provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity,” says Bonner. “We’re dedicated to improving the future of students in our community because we know they are next in line to lead the way.”
During the trip, the students visited historic landmarks and national treasures such as Arlington Cemetery, the Smithsonian Museums, Holocaust Museum, Mount Vernon, Supreme Court, Capitol, Washington Monument, and the MLK, FDR, Jefferson, World War II, Korean War, and Lincoln memorials.
Hunter’s favorite part of the trip was the Arlington National Cemetery. “Seeing the Arlington National Cemetery and a special Changing of the Guards Ceremony to celebrate the 240th Birthday of the US Army is something I will never forget,” said Kimball.
Makayla enjoyed the sites and noted that her peers on the trip had a positive impact on her. “I enjoyed not only seeing the great sites but also being surrounded by people that had such a different look on life and wanted to do such great things,” said Schafer. “The trip inspired me to alter my college plans and apply to attend the Air Force Academy next fall.”
In addition to touring the city, the students also gained perspective on some of today’s important issues and their role as involved citizens during discussions with members of Georgia's congressional delegation, including personal visits and photos with Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson and U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter, Doug Collins, Jody Hice, Barry Loudermilk, Austin Scott, Lynn Westmoreland and Rob Woodall.
For more information on the Washington Youth Tour, click here. Applications for the 2016 Washington Youth Tour will be due on February 15, 2016.