Dawn Amrein, the daughter of Ron and Barbara Amrein, members of Illinois Valley Electric Cooperative, was selected by her peers to serve on the Youth Consulting Board, a year-long commitment that included representing Illinois at a national electric cooperative meeting. Dawn serves as class president, secretary/treasurer of the student council, president of the National Honor Society, Crimestoppers publicity chairwoman, secretary of the Varsity Club, co-captain of the basketball team and a member of the newspaper staff. She also has a part-time job. Dawn dreams of one day being a pilot, a Journalist, an accountant, a doctor, or maybe a dietitian.

The Illinois electric and telephone cooperatives invest in young, rural leaders because they believe in educating young people about democracy and want to develop young leaders.

Since the late 1950s the electric and telephone cooperatives of Illinois have introduced thousands of high school juniors and seniors to their state and national leaders during Illinois Electric and Telephone Cooperative Youth Day in Springfield and The Youth to Washington tour.

On April 30. about 260 young Illinoisans converged on Springfield where they met their legislators, toured the state Capitol complex, Supreme Court, Governor's mansion, and Lincoln's Tomb.

In June, about 1,000 young people representing electric cooperatives nationwide will spend an unforgettable week exploring the nation's capital, in a tour inspired by then Sen. Lyndon Johnson. Addressing the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in 1957, the senator noted that the cooperatives could assist in "sending youngsters to the nation's capital where they can actually see what the flag stands for and represents."

The senator's home state of Texas sent several young people to Washington to work in Johnson's office during that summer. Then, in 1958, several people with rural electric cooperatives in Iowa sent the first group of 34 young people for a week-long study tour. Later that year, a busload from Illinois arrived in Washington.

By 1964, NRECA began to coordinate the program and that year hosted some 400 young people from 12 states. Today, more than 1,000 young people and chaperones participate each year. Illinois

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alumni of Youth Day and the Youth to Washington tour include state Representatives Art Tenhouse, who formerly was director of Adams Electrical Co-Operative, and Tom Ryder, who formerly was M.J.M. Electric Cooperative's attorney. Tenhouse and Ryder said the experiences of the Youth Tour helped to kindle their interest in the political process.

During the Washington tour the students spend an entire day on Capitol Hill, where they meet their two U.S. Senators and the downstate Congressional delegation. Members of many former Youth to Washington contingents have been fortunate enough to meet U.S. Presidents at The White House. The students also tour the many historic sites of Washington.

Rebecca D. Swearingen Ryan Joseph Cleland

During the week in Washington each group selects a student leader to represent the state on the Youth Consulting Board (YCB). Dawn Amrein, 18, of Princeton, one of the participants of last year's Youth to Washington Tour, was elected to represent Illinois on YCB.

"I like to succeed and exceed," Amrein said. "The Youth Board has been a real confidence builder."

To help young rural leaders further their education the Illinois Electric Cooperative Memorial Scholarship was recently started. The scholarship was established through the efforts of Thomas H. Moore, long-time executive vice president and general manager of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives. Moore, who retired in January 1994, urged creation of the fund so individuals could donate in honor of deceased members of the electric cooperative family. The scholarships are based on grade point average, college entrance test scores, work and volunteer experience, participation in school and community activities and knowledge of electric cooperatives. Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded, one to a child of an Illinois electric cooperative member and one to a child of an Illinois electric cooperative employee or director.

This year's recipients are Rebecca Dawn Swearingen of Melvin, the daughter of Steven and Kathy Swearingen, members of Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative, and Ryan Joseph Cleland of Pinckneyville, the son of Brenda K. Cleland, administrative assistant at Egyptian Electric. Swearingen, a student at University Laboratory High School, plans to become a veterinarian, while Cleland, a student at Pinckneyville Community High School, plans to become a radiologist.

The fund is administered by Northern Illinois University and tax-deductible donations may be made to the NIU Foundation/IEC Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Memorial gifts should list the person in whose memory the gift is given.

For more information and deadline dates for application to these programs, contact your local electric or telephone cooperative.

In Washington, students emerge after a tour of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Students flank Gov. Jim Edgar outside his Capitol office during Youth Day 1995.

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