From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

Last month we were finally able to open our doors and invite others to join us for our first banquet since before the global pandemic shut everything down over two years ago. It was a fitting way to get back into the swing of things as we celebrated eight outstanding high school juniors at our Youth Tour Banquet. We awarded all expenses-paid-trips to either Washington, D.C. or Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), and all eight finalists did a wonderful job presenting their ideas. You can read more about the finalists and their trips on page 7. Overall, it was great to get back to some semblance of normal with some talented youth, their families, local educators, our board trustees and our employees.

While we celebrated this year’s Youth Tour and Camp RYLA winners in-person, we must also remember the Youth Tour winners from the past two years. In 2020, the world shut down quite literally the week we had the banquet scheduled. Those finalists had worked hard to perfect their presentations, but never got the opportunity to present them as originally planned. We produced a virtual version of the presentations in 2020 and 2021, and while they each received scholarships, it’s hard to replace the experience, friendships and opportunities the Youth Tour trip brings. So, congratulations to this year’s winners, but also to Cecilia Alali, Taylor McGill, Grace Miller, Kade Schuermann, Henry Cargill, Lauren Haizlip and Brody Schuermann for a job well done in gracefully adapting throughout their respective contests.

After a successful in-person Youth Tour Banquet, we are moving forward with planning to have in-person District and Annual Meetings. Keep an eye on upcoming Co-op News magazines for dates concerning these meetings, and save the date for Friday, Aug. 5, as we plan on joining once again at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman for our first Annual Meeting in three years.

Also, please be sure to thank a lineworker if you see one working in your area this month. April 11 is National Lineworker Appreciation Day, and it's safe to say we would not exist without the dedication our lineworkers demonstrate and the pride they take in doing their job well. Thank you to each and every one of them and their families for safely keeping our lights on.