High school students in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware benefit from scholarships provided by electric cooperatives.
The Education Scholarship Foundation of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives announced that it has awarded more than $60,000 in post-secondary scholarships to deserving students for the 2022-23 school year.
“These scholarships reflect the strong commitment of electric cooperatives to advancing educational opportunities among our youth,” said Russell G. “Rusty” Brown, chair of the Education Scholarship Foundation Board and chair of the board of directors of the VMD Association. “We commend these students on their academic success, knowing they represent a future generation of leaders in their communities.”
The Foundation awarded Worth Hudson Scholarships of $1,000 each to 50 students. They are named in honor of Hudson, the first chairman of the Education Scholarship Foundation Board and former chairman of the board of directors of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative in Chase City, Va.
The Foundation also approved several co-op-specific scholarships to students in the service territories of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative and Delaware Electric Cooperative.
Emma Sperry and Kendahl Parsons from Choptank Electric Cooperative, and Brett Holmes from Community Electric Cooperative, were awarded $1,000 scholarships in memory of Bill Sherrod, the former editor of Cooperative Living magazine. Those students plan to pursue a career in journalism, English, communications or related fields.
Since 2001, the Foundation has provided approximately 840 scholarships totaling more than $860,000 to aspiring college students as well as to the next generation of electric lineworkers.
“We’re extremely proud to be able to help these deserving young people from electric cooperative service areas continue their education, whether at a college or university, or in learning a trade,” said Brian Mosier, president and CEO of the VMD Association.
The Foundation is supported through tax-deductible donations and bequests from individuals, proceeds from fundraising events and CoBank’s Sharing Success Program. One hundred percent of donations go to students for scholarships. For information on donating to the Foundation, visit vmdaec.com/scholarship.