Youth Tour Winners Announced
Five area high school juniors will participate in the 2024 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., in June, according to President/CEO Brad Castor of Rich Mountain Electric Cooperative.
Castor announced that Kailee Branson of Acorn High School; Damon Cruz of Acorn High School; Kohlea Carmack of Acorn High School; Ty Thacker of Mena High School; and Dani Atchley of Cossatot River High School are winners of the application/interview contest to determine the cooperative’s representatives on Youth Tour.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the five youths,” Castor said. “The trip is an all-expenses-paid trip and will include 47 youth from across Arkansas.” Each of the state’s 17 electric cooperatives will select representatives for the Youth Tour, and those winners will join approximately 1,500 youths from 44 states in Washington, D.C., for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Tour.
Between June 15 to 21, the five delegates will visit the White House; the U.S. Capitol; the Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson monuments; the Vietnam Memorial; Arlington Cemetery and other sights in D.C. This visit will be a combination of education, history and fun in our nation’s capital.
In addition, the five delegates from Rich Mountain Electric Cooperative are eligible to compete to represent Arkansas on the NRECA Youth Leadership Council. Arkansas’ representative, selected in part by the chaperones and students, will attend NRECA’s national meeting and participate in a variety of other cooperative activities throughout the year.
Rich Mountain Electric’s directors and management are happy to have this opportunity to enhance the educational experiences of local youth.
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| Kailee Branson of Acorn High School | Damon Cruz of Acorn High School |
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| Kohlea Carmack of Acorn High School | Ty Thacker of Mena High School |
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| Dani Atchley of Cossatot River High School |