August 4, 2016
Six students representing Great Lakes Energy Cooperative were among 1,700 high school students who attended the June 11-16 Youth Tour hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).
Those attending from Great Lakes Energy included Cody DeVries (New Era), Morgan Graeber (St. Joseph), Marie Groenink (Ellsworth), Spencer Joles (Boyne City), Alex Mason (Elmira) and Daly Narmore (Custer). Students met with their elected officials, engaged in leadership training and bonded with students from electric co-ops all across the country.
NRECA initiated Youth Tour after Senator Lyndon Baines Johnson suggested to co-op leaders at an NRECA annual meeting that they “send youngsters to the nation’s capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents.” The tradition of sending students to D.C. continues each June.
Previous Youth Tour participants have become university presidents, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and members of Congress. In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook credited Youth Tour with his first trip to Washington in his commencement speech to graduates of George Washington University in 2015. Over the past 51 years, nearly 50,000 students have visited Washington through Youth Tour.
Eligible students of Great Lakes Energy members can apply for the 2017 Youth Tour later this year.
