Four high school juniors will have an opportunity to win the trip of a lifetime! San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative will send two students on the National Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington D.C. and two students to Youth Leadership Camp at Glen Eden Resort near Steamboat Springs. SLVREC will cover expenses for transportation, lodging, and food for the students on both trips. Students will be responsible for incidental expenses.

The stipulations in the contest are that the parents or legal guardians must be members of the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative and students must be juniors in high school and at least 16 years of age. All applications will be verified through our billing database before entered into the competition. Each recipient will be required to attend the July or August board meeting to give a brief discussion about their trip and impressionable experiences they encountered.

As in years past, the competition for the two trips has been combined. Students need only apply one time to be eligible for both trips. Students are required to complete a two-page application form and they must submit an entry that addresses the contest theme, “What is a Cooperative” and “Why is it Beneficial to be a Member of a Cooperative”. Written essays, photo essays, artwork, videos, and other forms of media are all suitable entry formats. Entries will be judged on the following criteria: creativity, quality, and effectiveness in addressing the competition theme.

Adult chaperones attend both trips with the students. When possible, an employee from SanLuisValley Rural Electric Cooperative attends but that is not a guarantee. If an employee of SLVREC attends either trip, we will provide transportation to and from each meeting destination. If an employee from SLVREC is unable to attend, the student is responsible for their own form of transportation and SLVREC will pay the applicable IRS reimbursement rate per mile for travel. We will be in contact with you regarding transportation as the time gets closer.

Applications are due on the last Friday in November and the selection process is completed by the third week in December. Please feel free to copy these materials. Please contact me to verify membership of students or for any other questions that might arise. You can also email me at mtrujillo@slvrec.com. I will be happy to help in any manner I can. For further information please visit the CREA website.

Click here for a printable application or your high school counselor will be able to provide you with an application. Also, you may contact SLVREC at (719) 852-3538 or (800) 332-7634 for more information about the program or to receive an application. The two successful applicants will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Denver and Washington DC to learn more about electric cooperatives.

Sincerely,

Michelle Trujillo,

Customer Service