WCEC Awards $10,000 to East Texas Students

A panel of three independent judges recently awarded $10,000 in scholarships as part of Wood County Electric Cooperative’s (WCEC) “Power My World” program. Ten local high school students, residing within WCEC’s 9 county service area, will each receive a $1,000 scholarship towards his or her continuing education. The program is funded entirely by unclaimed capital credit payments returned to WCEC by the state of Texas.

The judges were comprised of three WCEC members, Ernard Baxter, Jr., Robert Blackwell and June Foster. They used various criteria to down-select the ten, who were chosen from forty three applicants. The judges were each tasked with reviewing the applications, accompanying academic records and lists of civic and community achievements. Additionally, each student was required to submit an essay, which was read by each judge. Based on their exceptional submissions and past achievements, the 2008 scholarship recipients are:

Laura Delilah Blalock	Harmony HIgh School
Sammie Hanks	Mt. Vernon High School
Emily Harwell	Van High School
Anthony Hill	Grand Saline High School
Britney Hudgins	Mineola High School
Andrew Mikel Ramirez	Alba-Golden High School
Thomas Blaine Shackelford	Quitman High School
Cristen J. Smith	Mineola High School
Lindsey Weems	Quitman High School
Autumn Paige Wood	Mineola High School

Of those selected, WCEC CEO/General Manager Debbie Robinson said, “It is an inspiration to see how many well-rounded and hard working students we have in East Texas, as evidenced by this year's applicants. They are a credit to their parents, our local school systems and fine educators. It will be interesting to follow each of these young men and women as they achieve their various goals.”

Wood County Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a not-for-profit electric cooperative with the mission of providing member-customers reliable electric service at a reasonable rate. WCEC serves over 31,000 meters in parts of nine counties throughout northeast Texas, including Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood.

Learn Safety and Conservation with our Touchstone energy Tools

At WCEC, it’s important to us that we offer our members educational tools, so they are able to make smart decisions about electricity use. Now, quick residential energy efficiency tips are just a few mouse clicks away. Because WCEC is a Touchstone Energy Partner, our members can now take advantage of some simple web based applications known as "Touchstone Energy $avers." These tools include a Light Bulb Energy Saver, which swiftly calculates dollars saved by replacement of CFLs, as well as tips about selecting an efficient water heater. There’s also an excellent Virtual House Tour which offers information and instruction on home energy efficiency.

And, the whole family can learn energy saving tips, become educated on renewable energy options, and also play educational and fun games about energy by visiting the Touchstone Energy Kids Zone. It’s a cool place for all to learn about electricity, energy savings and very importantly, electrical safety. Check it all out by clicking on the links below.