Local students join national electric co-op Youth to Washington Tour

McDonough Telephone Cooperative
·2 min read
Pictured from left – Congressman Darin LaHood, Sierra Lucie, Owen Torrance and Adjoa Boateng-Addo
Pictured from left – Congressman Darin LaHood, Sierra Lucie, Owen Torrance and Adjoa Boateng-Addo

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth to Washington Tour welcomed 34 students from 16 Illinois electric and telephone cooperatives along with 1,000 of their peers across the United States.

Three students from McDonough Telephone Cooperative, Inc. service territory were selected from a diverse group of applicants to represent their cooperative and enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. from June 17-24 as part of the annual Youth Tour.

The 2022 Youth Tour delegates from McDonough Telephone were Adjoa Boateng-Addo of Macomb, Sierra Lucie of Basco and Owen Torrance of Good Hope.

The students toured Capitol Hill and met with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Representative Darin LaHood. They also visited historical and cultural sites including Arlington National Cemetery, the Supreme Court, the White House, a variety of memorials and the U.S. Capitol. Among fun activities the students enjoyed were an assembly of more than 1,000 Youth Tour participants from across the nation.

“Youth Tour is a great opportunity that changes these students’ lives,” says Ashley Graham, Youth Tour coordinator. “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 utilities and telecoms have sponsored more than 60,000 high school students to visit Washington, D.C., talk one-on-one with their U.S. congressional delegations and learn from energy and grassroots government education sessions. NRECA is the national service organization representing the nation’s more than 900 consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million consumer-members in 47 states.

McDonough Telephone Cooperative serves more than 2,700 members in parts of Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Warren, and Schuyler counties. For more information visit www.mdtc.net.

This article originally appeared on The McDonough County Voice: McDonough County students join tour of US Capitol