Cooperative Living August 2021 - 31

Co-opPrinciples | by Andrew Vehorn, Contributing Columnist
Investing in the Communities We Serve
Cooperatives are reaching out to support the leaders of tomorrow
T
his year's first day of school will, hopefully, be very
different than one year ago. More than a year of remote
learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic served
as a poignant reminder that our children's education
is something we should never take for granted.
Education, Training and Information is the Fifth
Cooperative Principle, and your cooperative is heavily
ingrained in your community and supportive of your
local schools, teachers and students.
In partnership with the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware
Association of Electric Cooperatives, co-ops across the threestate
area provide scholarships to local students pursuing
higher education opportunities. These scholarships are
not limited to traditional four-year liberal arts colleges,
but also for vocational and technical education programs.
In partnership with Southside Virginia Community
College, cooperatives across Virginia, Maryland and
Delaware founded the Power Line Worker Training School
to train the next generation of lineworkers. This program
Blue Ridge Tunnel
(continued from page 9)
Two weeks later, on the summer
solstice, I do. The tunnel has called me
and my dogs, with my husband, back to
its crepuscular cavern. We begin at the
western entrance in Waynesboro,
walking back through time as we delve
deeper into the bowels of the mountain.
At the end of our hike, released into
the fresh air and sunshine on the other
end, we are free to go about our day -
eat lunch at The River Burger Bar, stave
off the 95-degree heat with custard
from Kline's Dairy Bar, take a nap.
What was at the end of the tunnel
for the men who built it? Answers are
everywhere - signs along the trail,
payroll records, Lyons' books - and
nowhere. The walls of the tunnel echo
not only of the voices of those of us
passing through, but also of the untold
hardships and challenges and labor of
the men who built it. 
For more information,
visit blueridgetunnel.org.
co-opliving.com
August 2021 | Cooperative Living | 29
allows students to receive training for a high-paying job
in their communities, where they can live and contribute,
in lieu of a traditional four-year degree program.
Cooperatives also sponsor an annual Youth Tour
in partnership with the National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association that brings thousands of
students from cooperative territory across the country
to Washington, D.C., where they learn about the
importance of civic engagement, the cooperative business
model and leadership.
Your cooperative knows that educated members are
engaged members who shape the future of the communities
they serve. By supporting schools, students and teachers
throughout their rural service territories, Virginia, Maryland
and Delaware electric cooperatives are investing in the
next generation of community leaders. 
Andrew Vehorn is vice president of member and public affairs for the
Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives.
http://www.blueridgetunnel.org http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living August 2021
