Page Menu

[FORREST CITY, AR – 4/6/2026]   

WOODRUFF ELECTRIC ANNOUNCES YOUTH TOUR WINNERS                  

Remy Vondran and Waylon Herron, both Juniors at Palestine-Wheatley High School, will be participating in the 2026 Electric Cooperatives Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. in June, according to Michael Swan, President/CEO of Woodruff Electric Cooperative.

Swan announced that Remy and Waylon were the winners selected through an interview process to determine the local cooperative’s representatives on the Youth Tour. The tour will take place between June 13 and June 19, the group will learn about electric cooperatives, tour historic sites, monuments and museums and meet members of the Arkansas congressional delegation.

In addition, the youth from Woodruff Electric Cooperative are eligible to compete to represent Arkansas on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council. Arkansas’ representative will attend NRECA’s national meeting and participate in a variety of other cooperative activities throughout the year.

Each of Arkansas’ electric distribution cooperatives will select representatives for the Youth Tour, primarily through essay contests, speech contests and interviews.  Those winners will join approximately 2,000 youth from across the nation in Washington, D.C. for the Annual National Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.

 

Woodruff Electric Youth Events for High School Juniors

Win a Trip of a Lifetime!

If you apply for the 2026 Youth Tour to Washington (June 13-19, 2026), you might be chosen for the week-long trip to Washington. The trip, which is sponsored by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, includes tours of major sites in Washington, such as the:

• Tour the U.S. Capitol and meet your Congressmen.
• Explore world-renowned museums like the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
• Discover historic sites, monuments and memorials, including Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
• Build lifelong friendships with delegates from across the state and country.

And Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
•  Visit the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and more in Philadelphia!

Eligibility

Woodruff Electric Cooperative will select 2 high school juniors to attend the 2026 tour.

  • The winners will be selected through an interview process.
  • Applicants must be high school juniors attending one of the high schools in Woodruff Electric’s area of service or homeschooled.

Once in Washington, the students will join about 1,800 students from across the nation who are attending the tour.

Why do we do this? The answer is simple. Woodruff Electric Cooperative is committed to its members and to the communities it serves. Through the Youth Tour, we are helping Arkansas’ youth learn more about the workings of their nation’s government and the electric cooperatives, as well as develop leadership skills.

Learn More

To learn more about Youth Tour:

Don’t miss out on this incredible, life-changing opportunity.

2026 Rules & Application

  • The 2026 application is closed.