The Education Scholarship Foundation of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) announced that it has awarded $80,000 in college scholarships to deserving students for the 2023-24 school year. The recipients are students whose parents live in areas served by electric cooperatives in the 3 states.
3 Central Virginia Electric Cooperative high school seniors will be awarded a $1,000 Worth M. Hudson Scholarship, named for the first chairman of the Foundation.
The 2024 recipients are:
- Leah Kelley, Goochland High School Class of 2024, the daughter of Kristin Kelley.
- Abigail Ford, Fluvanna County High School Class of 2024, the daughter of Jason and Crystal Ford.
- Alyssa Wood, Louisa County High School Class of 2024, the daughter of Daniel and Carrie Wood.
1 high school senior was selected as the recipient of the Foundation’s highest award, the Roberta I. Harlowe Scholarship, in the amount of $2,500. Roberta Harlowe and her husband, Bill, made a historic donation to the Foundation, starting the Foundation’s first endowment fund. Over $50,000 has been endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Harlowe and set aside to provide a permanent financial foundation for the Association’s charitable works. Mrs. Harlowe has been a CVEC Director since 1983 and previously served as Chair of the VMDAEC Education Scholarship Foundation Board.
The 2024 recipient of the Roberta I. Harlowe Scholarship is:
- Jamie Rodriguez, Fluvanna County High School Class of 2024, the daughter of Juan and Arlene Rodriguez.
Scholarship recipients are chosen based on a competitive screening process that considers financial need (40%), academic achievement (40%), and community involvement and personal history (20%). Applicants must be graduating seniors from either high school or homeschool in the year during which they apply. They must also provide evidence of their acceptance into a post-high school educational institution or program. Scholarships can be used to pay for tuition, fees, and books.
“VMDAEC’s 80th anniversary comes as we also celebrate our millionth dollar of scholarships awarded since the Foundation’s inception in 2001,” said Russell G. “Rusty” Brown, Chair of the VMDAEC Education Scholarship Foundation Board and representative from Northern Neck Electric Cooperative. “These two important milestones merited an extraordinary celebratory act on our part. To that end, we decided to give $80,000 in scholarships—the most we have ever given in the history of the Foundation!” The Foundation is funded through tax-deductible donations and bequests from individuals, proceeds from fundraising events, and CoBank’s Sharing Success Program. For information on donating to the Foundation, please visit VMDAEC scholarship website.
