Electric cooperatives in Virginia award scholarships

Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative and its statewide association have selected 15 high school seniors as recipients of $1,000 scholarships.

The cooperative’s Operation Round Up Committee recognized the following 10 students as recipients of this year’s SVEC scholarships:

• John Ballentine, James Wood High School, son of Howard and Lynn Ann Ballentine
• Mary Winters Blanchard, Highland High School, daughter of David and Julia Blanchard
• Emily Bowman, Central High School, daughter of David and Lori Bowman
• Molli Coleman, Broadway High School, daughter of Harry and Pepsi Coleman
• Tori Davis, Page County High School, daughter of Mark Davis and Beth Davis-Murphy
• Eliana Dellinger, Stonewall Jackson High School, daughter of Chris and Ginny Dellinger
• Connor Dight, Spotswood High School, son of Scott and Deanna Hawkins
• Alyssa Kitts, Mountain View Christian Academy, son of Kenneth and Patricia Kitts
• Riley Reed, Riverheads High School, daughter of Jim and Cheryl Reed
• Daniel Riddle, East Rockingham High School, Judy Deavers (guardian)

Since 1992, the cooperative has contributed more than $140,000 for area youth to pursue their dreams, offering scholarships to high school seniors whose parents or guardians are members. SVEC’s Operation Round Up Committee oversees the cooperative’s charitable giving. It consists of nine members from around the co-op’s service territory, plus one SVEC employee.

Additionally, five high school seniors from SVEC’s service territory have each received $1,000 college scholarships awarded by the Education Scholarship Foundation of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives.

They are:

• Jonathan Carter, John Handley High School
• Gabriel Escalante, Millbrook High School
• Everth Hernandez-Ventura, John Handley High School
• Logan Petrie, Broadway High School
• Camille Sanders, Wilson Memorial High School

The foundation awarded Worth Hudson scholarships of $1,000 each to 57 students across the association’s three-state footprint. They are named in honor of Hudson, the foundation’s first chairman. Since 2001, the foundation has provided about 780 scholarships totaling more than $800,000 to aspiring college students as well as to the next generation of electric lineworkers.