Ashley Denney and Lauren Ogle, both seniors at James River High School, and Morgan Fisher, a senior at Giles High School, have each earned $1,000 college scholarships awarded by the Education Scholarship Foundation of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC).
Ashley, the daughter of Richard and Lorrie Denney of Troutville, and Morgan, the daughter of Richard and Sandra Fisher of Newport, are receiving Worth M. Hudson Scholarships, named in honor of the foundation’s first chairman.
Lauren, the daughter of William and Tammy Ogle of Fincastle, is receiving a C D. Hypes Memorial Scholarship, named for a local educator who also served on the board of Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative (CBEC).
All three were eligible for consideration because their parents are consumer-members of Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative.
Recipients are chosen based on a competitive screening process that considers financial need (40 percent), academic achievement (40 percent) and community involvement (20 percent). Applicants must also provide evidence of their acceptance into a post-high school educational institution or program.
This year, the foundation is awarding 50 $1,000 Worth Hudson scholarships to students who live in areas served by electric cooperatives in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia as well as one C. D Hypes Memorial Scholarship. These grants can be used to pay for tuition, fees and books.
The foundation is funded through tax-deductible donations and bequests from individuals, proceeds from benefit fundraising events and Co-Bank’s Sharing Success Program. It also participates in the Amazon Smile Program. Since its inception in 2000, the foundation has awarded 627 scholarships totaling $526,500.
Founded in 1944, VMDAEC is the trade association for Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative and 14 other electric co-ops that serve Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. It is based in Glen Allen and provides safety and employee training, governmental relations, communications, including the publication of Cooperative Living magazine, and other services to its member cooperatives. For more information on VMDAEC and the scholarship program, visit www.vmdaec.com or www.co-opliving.com.
Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative, headquartered in New Castle, Va., is a not-for-profit energy provider that serves over 7,100 homes, farms and businesses in the Virginia counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Montgomery and Roanoke and in Monroe County, West Virginia. For more information, go to www.cbec.coop.