NORTHWEST OHIO – North Western Electric Cooperative, Tricounty Rural
Electric Cooperative and Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative are now
accepting applications for more than $15,400 in scholarships, as well as
a free trip for multiple students to our nation’s capital as part of
the annual Rural Electric Youth Tour.
Scholarships are open to
graduating seniors planning to attend college, trade, or vocational
school. One winner from each co-op will move on to the state judging
level and compete for additional funds from Ohio’s Electric
Cooperatives.
• Tricounty REC will distribute $3,000 in scholarships; applications are due Feb. 1, 2023.
• PPEC is awarding $5,400 in scholarships; applications are due Feb. 10, 2023.
• NWEC is giving out $7,000 in scholarships; applications are due Feb. 17, 2023.
Every
June, around 1,800 high school students from across the country spend a
week in the nation's capital as part of the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Youth Tour, sponsored by the students’ respective electric
cooperatives to educate them about America’s history, our government,
and the role co-ops play in developing strong rural communities. This
free trip includes insider tours of popular sites including the Lincoln
Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Gettysburg, and more, as well as a chance
to meet congressional leaders and participate in a small group on
Capitol Hill. Past delegates cite the experience as “a history buff’s
dream” and an “unforgettable, fun memory,” as well as saying they made
friends they still keep in contact with to this day.
Applications
for Youth Tour are open to both high school sophomores and juniors for
Ohio students (only juniors for PPEC’s Indiana students). Applications
are due January 17 for NWEC and March 1 for PPEC and Tricounty REC.
Though
rules and award details vary between the cooperatives, one thing is the
same: any student applying for either scholarships or Youth Tour must
be the child of a member of that respective cooperative and must
complete the applications provided by that cooperative.
For
applications, see your local high school guidance counselor, call or
stop by your respective electric cooperative, or visit www.nwec.com,
www.ppec.coop or www.tricountyelectriccoop.coop.
Bryan-based
North Western Electric Cooperative (NWEC), Malinta-based Tricounty Rural
Electric Cooperative, and Paulding-based Paulding Putnam Electric
Cooperative (PPEC) are not-for-profit, member-owned electric utilities
dedicated to providing superior member service; safe, affordable, and
reliable electricity; and improved quality of life for their
communities. NWEC serves nearly 5,900 consumers in Williams, Defiance,
Henry, and Paulding counties. Tricounty serves more than 4,400 members
in Ohio’s Henry, Fulton, Putnam, Wood, and Lucas counties. PPEC serves
over 12,900 members in Paulding, Putnam, Defiance, Van Wert, and Allen
counties in Ohio and Adams and Allen counties in Indiana.
To
learn more about the cooperatives’ programs and services, please visit
www.nwec.com, www.tricountyelectriccoop.coop, or www.ppec.coop.