After a two-year pause in the program due to COVID-19, Emily Keefer (Tinora High School), Alaina Stuckey (Hicksville High School), Joseph Schnipke (Miller City-New Cleveland High School), Katie Johnson (Patrick Henry High School), Megan Meyer (Patrick Henry High School), recently attended Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives’ Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., from June 18-24, 2022. The students represented their local electric cooperative – North Western Electric (Bryan), Paulding Putnam (Paulding), and Tricounty Rural Electric (Malinta) cooperatives respectively.
The Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives Youth Tour is an annual weeklong youth leadership experience for high school sophomores and juniors from families served by electric cooperatives. On the trip, students visited the nation’s capital and its many famous and historic sites, including Arlington National Cemetery and the Library of Congress. They also met members of Ohio’s congressional delegation on Capitol Hill and learned about public service and the cooperative business model.
The local delegates joined nearly 40 students from the Buckeye State – and more than 1,800 students from electric co-ops across the country – who participated in this year’s Youth Tour.
• Emily Keefer is the daughter of Kristi and Timothy Keefer; Alaina Stuckey is the daughter of Beth and Scott Stuckey. Both girls represented North Western Electric Cooperative.
• Joey Schnipke is the son of Mark and Gina Schnipke of Leipsic; he was sponsored by Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative.
• Katie Johnson is the daughter of Josh and Heather Johnson; Megan Meyer is the daughter of Mark and Amy Meyer. Both girls represented Tricounty Rural Electric Cooperative.
Sites on this year’s Youth Tour included the United States Capitol; the Vietnam and Korean War memorials; the Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials; the Smithsonian Museums of Natural History and American History; the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Center; and the Gettysburg battlefield.
Applications are accepted each year starting in December. Members of each co-op can watch for details in the Ohio Cooperative Living magazine or call their respective co-op for more information.
Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative (PPEC) is proud to serve more than 12,900 members in Paulding, Putnam, Defiance, Van Wert, and Allen counties in Ohio, and Adams and Allen counties in Indiana. Since 1935, our not-for-profit model has allowed us to provide affordable, reliable, and safe power to rural areas with pride.
Bryan-based North Western Electric Cooperative (NWEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric utility dedicated to providing superior member service; safe, affordable, and reliable electricity; and improved quality of life for its community. NWEC serves nearly 5,900 consumers in Williams, Defiance, Henry, and Paulding counties.
Malinta-based Tricounty Rural Electric Cooperative is proud to serve more than 4,400 members in Ohio’s Henry, Fulton, Putnam, Wood, and Lucas counties. Since 1936, our not-for-profit, community-focused model has allowed us to provide affordable, reliable, and safe power to rural areas with pride.
