Students from western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee got the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a week in our nation’s capital as delegates of the 2024 Washington Youth Tour. Ayden Anderson, At-Large; Sophie Hatcher, Crockett County; Breanna Harrell, Gibson County; Jason Hedgepath, Lake County; Gavin Wheelis, Obion County; and Jonathan Young, Fulton County, Kentucky made the weeklong trip that began on Friday, June14.

This annual event is sponsored by Gibson Electric Membership Corporation. The students were selected for the trip by writing a short story titled “Co-ops Connect” that explains how co-ops connect communities with energy, education, broadband, economic development and more.

“Chaperoning the best and brightest of on a trip of a lifetime to Washington, D.C., each year is a highlight of my job here at Gibson Electric,” said Sarah Williams, Member Services Specialist. “This year’s delegates represented Gibson Electric well at our nation’s capital and are coming back home with the knowledge and leadership skills to become future leaders in their communities.”

The Washington Youth Tour’s nonstop, seven-day itinerary is jam-packed with places to visit and experiences to give the Youth Tour delegates a trip that they will never forget. Highlights include a guided memorials tour around the city, visiting museums at the Smithsonian Institute, touring Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello and taking a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Delegates also got to see Washington, D.C., staples like the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Washington National Cathedral.

“An investment in the Washington Youth Tour delegates today is also an investment in the future of co-op communities across Tennessee,” said Dan Rodamaker, Gibson Electric and Gibson Connect President and CEO. “The future is bright for this group of Youth Tour delegates. We are honored to be a part of supporting their academic journeys and look forward to seeing what the future has in store for them and the impact they will have on their communities.”

The Washington Youth Tour was inspired by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send young people to the nation’s capital.