Local students represent Adams Electric and Adams Telephone during the nationwide Youth to Washington Tour

Pictured from left – Congressman Darin LaHood, Kate Lehne, Kade Zanger, Lexa Borrowman and Kameren Kuhn.

WASHINGTON – What do you get when 71 students from 27 Illinois electric and telephone cooperatives join more than 1,800 of their peers across the United States? You get the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth to Washington Tour.

Four local students were selected from a diverse group of applicants to represent Adams Electric Cooperative and Adams Telephone Co-Operative to enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. from June 8-15 as part of the annual Youth Tour.

The 2018 Youth Tour delegates from Adams Electric Cooperative included Lexa Borrowman from Quincy Notre Dame and Kade Zanger from Quincy Senior High School. Adams Telephone Co-Operative was represented by Kameren Kuhn from Unity High School and Kate Lehne from Brown County High School.

The students toured Capitol Hill and met with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Darin LaHood. They also visited historical and cultural sites including Arlington National Cemetery, the Supreme Court, Newseum, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, a variety of memorials and the U.S. Capitol. Among fun activities the students enjoyed were the Marine Corps Sunset Parade, the Smithsonian Museums and an assembly of Youth Tour participants from across the nation.

“Youth Tour is a great opportunity that changes these students’ lives,” says Jim Thompson, General Manager of Adams Electric. “This experience helps prepare them for their futures.”

“After touring our nation’s capital, meeting congressional representatives and learning firsthand how our government works, they return home with valuable knowledge and memories that will last a lifetime,” says Jim Broemmer, CEO of Adams Telephone.

Since 1959, the nation’s cooperative electric and telephone utilities have sponsored more than 60,000 high school students to visit Washington, D.C. To learn more about the Youth to Washington Tour, go to www.youthtour.coop.

Adams Electric Cooperative is a member of Touchstone Energy — an alliance of 750 local, consumer-owned electric utilities around the country. Adams Electric Cooperative is committed to providing superior service based on four core principles: integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. The co-op serves more than 8,784 meters over 2,242 miles of line in parts of Adams, Brown, Hancock, McDonough, Pike and Schuyler counties. For more information visit www.adamselectric.coop.

Adams Telephone Co-Operative has been serving Western Illinois since 1952 and has evolved into a state-of-the-art telecommunications company. Through its affiliated companies, Adams provides a full range of data, voice and networking services backed by a local fiber optic facility, local and long distance telephone service, high-speed Internet access, and television programming. Adams Telephone Co-Operative serves members in Adams, Brown, Hancock, McDonough, Pike and Schuyler counties. For more information, visit: www.adams.net.

Written by Lori Miller