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Four Youths Participate in Educational Tour
Each year in
June rural electric cooperatives from all
across
the United States support the Electric Youth
Tour program where young people are given
the opportunity to spend an informative week
in our nation’s capital. This year the
Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of
Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) sponsored 40
young people, along with ten chaperones from
ten of the VMDAEC electric cooperatives.
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) is a
member of the VMDAEC and sponsored four
young people. Kimberly Matherly, Heather
Wilkerson, Amanda Hawthorne and Ashley Brown
were among over 1,500 high school students
from across the country who learned
first-hand what it is like to be involved in
politics and community service and about
today’s pressing issues. Matherly is a
rising senior at Chatham High School and is
the daughter of Gary and Lori Matherly of
Chatham. Wilkerson is a rising senior at
Randolph-Henry High School and is the
daughter of Gary Wilkerson of Nathalie and
Tina Newcomb of Drakes Branch. Hawthorne is
a rising senior at Brunswick Academy and is
the daughter of Dwayne and Belinda Hawthorne
of Alberta. Brown is a rising senior at
Brunswick High School and is the daughter of
Herbert and Audree Brown of Freeman.
The group from Mecklenburg Electric,
Southside Electric, and Prince George
Electric Cooperatives took a tour of the
Nation’s Capitol guided by one of
Congressman Robert Hurt’s staff members.
They also had an opportunity to meet with
Hurt in his office.
Kimberly Matherly comments, “This
‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity was an
amazing educational experience. The trip
increased my knowledge of politics and
helped me realize the importance of the
electric cooperative in my area.”
A highlight of the tour was Youth Day during
which all 1,500 students representing states
from across the country including Alaska and
Hawaii gathered as a group. Motivational
speakers emphasized the difference young
people can make where they live by
volunteering for community projects.
Other tours included Arlington National
Cemetery, National Museum of American
History, the Library of Congress, Madame
Tassauds Wax Museum, The Kennedy Center, and
Mount Vernon.
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