This month, I thought I would highlight how your electric cooperative supports the youth in our community. Our website has a page dedicated to yearly student opportunities with links to additional information. Most of these programs require the participant to be a son, daughter, or legal ward of a Jasper County REMC member, except for Page Day and the Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest.

The Indiana Statehouse Page Day allows students to learn about their state government. They learn how a bill becomes a law, get a tour of the Statehouse, and they might even see the Indiana Legislature in action.

Camp Kilowatt provides a way for kids to learn about energy while making new friends and enjoying fun activities and games. A few of our employees have been chaperones for this, and have brought back many stories of camp adventures. This can be a great outdoor experience for sixth-grade students going into seventh grade.

Indiana Cooperative Youth Tour takes young adults preparing for their senior year of high school on a tour of Gettysburg and Washington, D.C. This tour covers many of the major monuments and brings students together from across the country.

The Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest gives students from kindergarten through the 12th grade a chance to have their art displayed in a calendar distributed by participating cooperatives throughout Indiana. I always enjoy taking the time to flip through them when they arrive each year.

The Bruce and Sharon Nesius Memorial Scholarship assists students who are looking to advance their education. Three area students receive $500 scholarships to put towards their college education.

Your REMC is a big supporter of the 4-H program, and we have helped with the electric portion of that program for many years. We have the kits for the electric program at our office, and we even have a reimbursement option available for eligible entries to help cover the cost of participation.

The Youth Power and Hope Award honors Indiana youth in grades 5 through 8 for their community service. If you know a child who has created a community service project, you should check out this award on our student opportunity page.

These programs are a few of the ways that Jasper County REMC honors our seventh cooperative principle, commitment to community, by participating in these youth-focused events to help advance our future leaders. Please use the website link below for more information and call our office if you have any additional questions about these programs.

For more information and links, please visit jasperremc.com/community/student-opportunities.