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| More than 40 students from across the state attended this year's annual Cooperative Youth Leadership Conference. The event was held in White Lake. |
(Editor's note: the following written and provided by the Cooperative Council of NC.)
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| A sponsorship provided by the NC Credit Union League allowed Essence Moody to attend the camp this year. |
The Cooperative Council of North Carolina recently held its annual Cooperative Youth Leadership Conference for high school students at the NC FFA Center at White Lake, NC. Sponsored by cooperatives and agricultural organizations, over 40 students from across North Carolina attended the camp, enjoying a week by the lake.
The leadership camp focused on helping students build leadership skills while learning about cooperatives. Attendees heard several distinguished speakers representing various types of cooperatives. They enjoyed a series of outdoors team building activities by the lake as part of a week-long competition between groups. Campers also participated in a special luau dinner and Talent Show, sponsored by the NC Association of Electric Cooperatives. Travis Stanley, sponsored by Skyline TMC, won first place in the talent show with his strong singing voice. As part of the luau’s fun games, activities and dancing, Bennett Yeargan (Wake EMC) and Rachel Haubert (NC State Grange) were crowned king and queen of the luau.
Along with the usual camp activities, participants received extensive training in the operation of cooperatives as a form of doing business. They organized a T-shirt cooperative, sold shirts to fellow campers, and donated the proceeds to the Council’s youth program. Luke Cullifer (Skyline TMC) was elected the Co-op President, with Kristina Hewett (Riegelwood FCU) serving as the General Manager. Travis Stanley and Chelsea Eller (Skyline TMC) served as Co-Chair’s for the Board of Directors.
At a special awards banquet that brought camp to a close, Rachel Haubert of Lexington, NC, sponsored to attend camp by NC State Grange, was selected as the Outstanding Camper. As the recipient of this honor, The Thad Eure Cooperative Leadership Award, Haubert received an expense-paid trip to the 2012 National Institute on Cooperative Education (NICE). The conference was held at the end of July on the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA.
Five other students also received Leadership Awards and joined Haubert on the trip to Virginia. They are Chelsea Eller of West Jefferson, sponsored by Skyline TMC; Janzen Jones of Oak Island, sponsored by Atlantic TMC; Travis Stanley of West Jefferson, sponsored by Skyline TMC; Theo Witherspoon of Burnsville, sponsored by French Broad EMC; and Bennett Yeargan from Fuquay-Varina, sponsored by Wake EMC. These leaders were selected from 43 youth representing North Carolina cooperatives at the Co-op Leadership Camp. Counselors also presented Connor Rice (Wake EMC) with a special “Unsung Hero” Award for his help and cooperation during the week of camp. All students who attended camp are now eligible to apply for a $1,000 college scholarship when they graduate.
Counselors for the week were provided by cooperatives. They were: Marsha Williams, Carolina Farm Credit, Wilkesboro; Ashley Blair, NC State Grange, Mt. Pleasant; John Bledsoe, AgCarolina Financial, Raleigh; Scott Lee, Carolina Farm Credit, Statesville, and Courtney Gray, Cary, NC State Grange. Junior counselors for the week, returning after attending camp in the past were Callie Hennis of Holly Springs; Justin Leonard of Clemmons; Austin Muench of Hurdle Mills; and Brodi Olds of Greensboro.