Five high school seniors from families served by Southside Electric Cooperative were awarded $1,000 scholarships from the Educational Scholarship Foundation of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives. The scholarships recognize academic achievement and will help the students with post-secondary education expenses. A total of 55 scholarships were awarded this year to students from electric cooperative service areas in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Since 2001 the Foundation has awarded over $369,000 in electric cooperative scholarships to 470 students.

1. P.O. Box 7 2000 West Virginia Avenue Crewe, VA 23930 1-800-552-2118 FAX 434-645-1147
SOUTHSIDE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
NEWS RELEASE Contact: Allan Sharrett
June 20, 2014 V.P. of Public & Member Relations
(800) 552-2118, ext. 3211
allan.sharrett@sec.coop
SEC High School Seniors Earn Electric Co-op Scholarships
Crewe, Va – (SEC) Five high school seniors whose families are served by Southside Electric Cooperative
(SEC) were recently awarded scholarships from the Educational Scholarship Foundation of the Virginia,
Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC). Each co-op student received a
$1,000 Worth M. Hudson Scholarship to be used for post-secondary education.
“SEC supports the VMDAEC Scholarship fund every year, and we’re excited to have five winners from
right here in Southside’s service territory representing their co-op and their region proudly. These
scholarships are more than just money — they represent opportunity — and that’s one of the most
important roles we can play in the communities we serve,” noted Jeff Edwards, SEC president & CEO.
SEC’s 2014 Worth M. Hudson award winners are:
Joseph Barden, the son of Joey and Susan Barden of Powhatan. Joseph is a graduate of Powhatan High
School and will attend Virginia Tech in the fall. (Photo attached)
Rubin Harvey, the son of Ann Moore of Kenbridge. Rubin is a graduate of Central High School and will
attend Christopher Newport University in the fall. (Photo unavailable)
Destani Jackson, the daughter of Paula Branch of Cumberland. Destani is a graduate of Cumberland
High School. (Photo attached)
Jaden Nichols, the daughter of Shawn and Shannon Howard of Charlotte Court House. Jaden is a
graduate of Randolph-Henry High School and will attend Old Dominion University in the fall. (Photo
attached)
Chelsie Townsend, the daughter of Jerry and Michelle Townsend of Meherrin. Chelsie is a graduate of
Prince Edward County High School and will attend Radford University in the fall. Chelsie is also an
alumna of SEC’s 2013 Electric Co-op Youth Tour in Washington, DC. (Photo attached)
This year’s scholarship winners were chosen out of a pool of 364 applicants from areas served by electric
cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The Foundation awarded a total of 55 Worth M.

2. Hudson Scholarships and six $1,000 endowed scholarships, named in honor of the first chair of the
VMDAEC Educational Scholarship Foundation.
“We wish each of them the very best in their endeavors beyond high school, and we’re encouraged to
know that these scholarships will be used to help them build a solid future for their families and their
communities,” added Edwards.
Scholarship winners were selected though a competitive application process based on financial need,
academic achievement and a written essay. To apply, students must be entering their first semester of
college, technical or trade school in the autumn of that year, and are eligible for consideration because
their parents are SEC members.
“We were able to award a record number of 61 scholarships thanks to donations from several VMDAEC
member cooperatives that were matched by CoBank through their ‘Sharing Success’ Program,” said
Roberta Harlowe, chair of VMDAEC’s Educational Services Committee who serves on the board of
Central Virginia Electric Cooperative.
Since its inception in 2001, the Foundation has awarded 470 electric cooperative scholarships totaling
$369,500. The number of scholarships awarded each year is based upon available funds, and these grants
can be used to pay for tuition, fees and books.
Founded in 1944, VMDAEC is the trade association for Southside Electric Cooperative and 14 other
electric co-ops that serve Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Based in Glen Allen, Va., the Association
provides safety and employee training, government relations and other services, including the publication
of Cooperative Living magazine. For more information, please visit the “Community Resources” section
of www.vmdaec.com or www.co-opliving.com/community/scholarship.htm.
Headquartered in Crewe, Virginia, SEC is a member-owned distribution electric utility serving more than
45,000 members throughout southern and central Virginia. For more information about SEC, please visit
us @ www.sec.coop, on Facebook @ www.fb.com/SouthsideElectric or Twitter: @SouthsideEC.