West Florida Electric Co-op announces 2024 Youth Tour participants and winners

Congratulations to this year’s West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) 2024 Youth Tour winners. Joseph Smith, a junior at Sneads High School and LaRae Baxter, a junior at Malone School, were named West Florida Electric’s Youth Tour competition winners on Feb. 20. Wyatt Speers of Cottondale High School is the alternate winner. Smith and Baxter have won an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. and will represent WFEC on the National Rural Electric Youth Tour trip taking place June 16-21, 2024. They will travel with other students from Florida to meet up with hundreds of other high school juniors from across the country to tour our Nation’s Capital and learn more about leadership, our government, and cooperatives. Smith and Baxter also won $1,000 college scholarships to use at any college, university, or technical school of their choice. Speers won a $500 scholarship.

Ten local students participated in the Youth Tour program this year:

Chelsea Edenfield, Altha School

Morgan Faircloth, Bethlehem School

Matthew Evans, Blountstown High School;

Rebecca Lee and Kason Nelson, Chipley High School (these two students

participated in a separate competition for the children and grandchildren of WFEC

employees)

Wyatt Speers, Cottondale High School

Larame Gates, Graceville High School

LaRae Baxter, Malone School

Joseph Smith, Sneads High School

Randi Jo Boyd, Holmes County High School

The purpose of Youth Tour is to get students out of the classroom and familiarize them with the utility that brings electricity to their lives. They also get a first-hand look at the activities of our government at state and national levels. This is a great opportunity to meet people, experience new things, and travel. WFEC has participated in Youth Tour since 1979, sending students almost every year since. For more information about the Youth Tour program, visit www.westflorida.coop.

The Washington, D.C. Youth Tour Program has been in existence since 1957 when co-ops sent students to Washington, D.C. to work during the summer, by 1964, the program caught on, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) began to coordinate the efforts of the co-ops. Since then, thousands of young people have experienced this opportunity. For more information about the Youth Tour program, visit www.westflorida.coop .

PHOTO CUTLINE: WFEC Youth Tour participants pictured with board members from left, WFEC Executive Vice President and CEO, Shawn Walling; Matthew Evans, Blountstown HS; George Clayton Owens, WFEC District 6 Trustee; LaRae Baxter, Malone School; John Adams, WFEC District 4 Trustee; Randi Jo Boyd, HCHS; Morgan Faircloth, Bethlehem School; Chelsea Edenfield, Altha School; Larame Gates, Graceville HS; Joseph Smith, Sneads HS; Rebecca Lee, Chipley HS; Jackie Pooser, WFEC District 3 Trustee and Joe Rone, WFEC Board President and District 8 Trustee.

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