Adams Electric Cooperative General Manager Jim Thompson has announced that the Illinois electric cooperatives will again in 2014 award seven academic scholarships to high school seniors through a memorial scholarship fund designed to financially assist deserving students in the “electric cooperative family.” In addition, an eighth scholarship – to assist with costs in attending an electric lineworker school – will also be offered.
The eight scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded in 2014 through the Thomas H. Moore Illinois Electric Cooperatives (IEC) Memorial Scholarship Program.
Four scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors who are the sons or daughters of an Illinois electric cooperative member receiving service from the cooperative. A fifth scholarship, the Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship, will be awarded to a student who is the son or daughter of an Illinois electric cooperative employee or director. The sixth and seventh scholarships are reserved for students enrolling full-time at a two-year Illinois community college who are the sons or daughters of Illinois electric cooperative members, employees or directors.
The eighth annual $1500 scholarship, the “LaVern and Nola McEntire Lineworker’s Scholarship,” was created in 2011 to help pay for costs to attend the lineworker’s school conducted by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives in conjunction with Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC), Springfield, IL. LaVern McEntire served as a lineman for McDonough Power Electric Cooperative from 1949 until 1991. He and his wife, Nola, endowed the new scholarship to financially assist deserving individuals in becoming trained lineworkers. Sons and daughters of co-op members; relatives of co-op employees or directors; individuals who have served or are serving in the armed forces or National Guard; and individuals participating in the LLCC lineworker’s program are all eligible for the lineworker’s scholarship.
“We hope to assist electric cooperative youth while honoring past rural electric leaders with these scholarships,” says Manager Thompson. “Adams Electric Cooperative and the other Illinois electric cooperatives are always seeking ways to make a difference in our communities. One of the best ways we can do that is by helping our youth through programs like this one. In addition, we are very pleased to offer the electric lineworker’s scholarship. It will benefit not only electric cooperative youth but also those fine men and women who have served their country through their military service and may now be wanting to become a trained lineworker.”
For more information regarding the scholarships, contact Adams Electric Cooperative at (800) 232-4797. All necessary paperwork has also been sent to area high school guidance counselors and is also available for download at the cooperative’s website at adamselectric.coop.