Submitted by OPALCO

Applications are now being accepted for OPALCO’s Nourdine Jensen Cooperative Youth Scholarship Program. Thanks to the generosity of the family of Nourdine Jensen on San Juan Island, the OPALCO scholarship amount doubled in 2017 to $1,000. In addition, Nourdine Jensen Scholars spend an all-expenses-paid week at the Youth Rally in Idaho, a Co-op Leadership Camp that includes the opportunity to earn additional scholarship awards. The deadline for applications is March 31.

OPALCO established the Nourdine Jensen Cooperative Youth Scholarship Program in 2010 to honor longtime Co-op board member Nourdine Jensen. The program is open to sophomores and juniors of OPALCO member households.

The Youth Rally is a fun-packed week of activities including a day at the water park, roller skating, volleyball, bowling, social dances, team-building games and educational sessions on leadership, grassroots governance and the power industry. The College of Idaho campus is an ideal home base for this summer adventure.

Past scholars have said:

“My sense of the world was changed …”

– Brodie Miller, Spring Street School

“I made friendships that will last a lifetime…”

– Cameron Schuh, Orcas Island High School

“I had an amazing time at the Rally. They did a perfect job of balancing education and fun.”

– Marné Cook, Lopez High School

It’s easy to apply; fill out a one-page application and write a one-page letter explaining why you would be a good ambassador of OPALCO. Applications are online at www.opalco.com/members/youth-rally-scholarships/. Applications are due at 4:30 p.m., Friday, March 31 to Suzanne Olson at solson@opalco.com. Please call Olson at 376-3537 if you have questions. Check out photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/opalco/ and also on Facebook at ICUA Youth Rally 2016. It’s fun!

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is a non-profit electrical utility serving about 11,200 co-op member-owners on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 95 percent greenhouse-gas free, predominately generated by hydro-electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937 to deliver electricity and improve the quality of life in the San Juan islands.