Scholarships Available from Southside Electric Cooperative

Any high school or home schooled senior graduating in 2014 whose parents or guardians are members of Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) and whose primary residence is served by the cooperative is eligible to apply now for the 2014 Electric Cooperative Educational Scholarship.

Scholarships will be awarded by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives’ (VMDAEC) Educational Scholarship Foundation Board. An applicant must be entering his or her first semester at a college or technical/trade school in the fall of 2014. In 2014, the Educational Scholarship Foundation Board will be awarding $1,000 scholarships which must be used for tuition, student fees, room and board or the purchase of books.

The Board selects scholarship recipients based on a combination of the following weighted criteria:

• financial need at 40%

• academic achievement at 40%

• personal statement at 20%

The application submission is a three-step process as follows:

• First step: complete the VMDAEC Educational Scholarship Application form and submit it electronically to scholarship@vmdaec.com no later than midnight on Wednesday, February 12, 2014.

• Second step: compile supporting documents in the sequence listed below and seal in the same envelope. Do not fold. Do not use staples, paper clips, other binding materials or presentation folders. You must submit all documents at one time in one envelope and in the following sequence (front to back):

• Application form ― completed and signed.

• A copy of your family’s most recent electric cooperative bill.

• Your one-page Personal Statement plus two copies.

• Your preliminary official high school or home school transcript.

• Your Standardized Test Scores (SAT and/or ACT).

• A recommendation letter written by someone not related to you.

• Third and final step: deliver your packet of supporting documents to the Foundation Board by using one of two delivery options: hand-deliver to 4201 Dominion Boulevard, Suite 101, Glen Allen, VA 23060 no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 2014; or mail postmarked no later than midnight on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 to P. O. Box 2340 Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340.

For the Educational Scholarship Application Form and for detailed information on the eligibility requirements and application process, please go online to www.co-opliving.com/community/scholarship.htm or www.vmdaec.com.

In 2013, the VMDAEC Educational Scholarship Foundation Board awarded 50 scholarships totaling $50,000 to deserving students throughout Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Since its inception in 2000, 409 students have received VMDAEC scholarships totaling $308,500. The Foundation is funded through tax-deductible donations from individuals and VMDAEC member electric cooperatives as well as proceeds from events such as the annual Educational Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament.

Founded in 1944, VMDAEC is the trade association for Southside Electric Cooperative and the 14 other not-for-profit electric distribution cooperatives serving the Mid-Atlantic region. The trade association is based in Glen Allen, Va., and provides safety and employee training, government relations and communications services, including the publishing of Cooperative Living magazine, for its member co-ops.

Headquartered in Crewe, SEC is a member-owned not-for-profit electric utility serving more than 54,000 meters in homes and businesses throughout southern and central Virginia. Find us on the web @ www.sec.coop and on Facebook @ www.fb.com/SouthsideElectric.

For more information, visit vmdaec.com or www.ing.com/community/scholarship.htm or contact Pam Johnson, Statewide Training Coordinator, at 804-968-7153.