After a two-year pause in the program due to COVID-19, Emily Keefer of Defiance and Alaina Stuckey of Hicksville were among 38 students from throughout Ohio who visited Washington, D.C., and other points of interest on June 18-24, 2022, as part of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, Inc.’s Youth Tour to our nation’s capital.

Keefer and Stuckey were sponsored by North Western Electric Cooperative. The students joined more than 1,200 other rural youths representing 28 states. As part of their tour of the nation’s capital, students met with members of their Congressional delegation, visited Arlington National Cemetery, and attended a performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

For over 50 years, teens from rural America have been coming to Washington, D.C., on the “trip of a lifetime,” courtesy of their local sponsoring electric cooperative, Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, and NRECA. The week-long trip included visiting the U.S. Capitol and other areas of historical and national significance.

Emily is the daughter of Kristi and Timothy Keefer, and Alaina is the daughter of Beth and Kevin Stuckey. For more photos and information about the students’ experiences at the 2022 Youth Tour, follow the Youth Tour group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ohioyouthtour) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ohioyouthtour/). You can also visit OEC's website here: https://ohioec.org/node/314

Youth Tour applications are accepted each year starting in December. NWEC members can watch for details in the Ohio Cooperative Living magazine, call NWEC, or visit the Youth Tour webpage starting in late 2022: https://nwec.com/youth-tour