Giving back is rewarding in its own right, but for Rachel Larson, a senior at Aiken High School, her community spirit has been recognized with a $5,000 college scholarship.
Photo by Chase Toler
Giving back is uniquely rewarding at every stage of life. But for Rachel Larson, a senior at Aiken High School, her community spirit and genuine care and concern for children in need was rewarded with a $5,000 college scholarship by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc.
The R.D. Bennett Community Service Scholarship is named for Robert D. Bennett, the first general manager and executive vice president of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, who led the state association from 1950 until his retirement in 1980. Bennett strongly believed that electric cooperatives should support their local communities and provide a better quality of life for their members, so this scholarship is a perfect expression of those ideals.
“I just wanted to be more a part of the community,” says Rachel.
An avid soccer player, Rachel shared her love of the sport with kids at Children’s Place, a
therapeutic childcare center in Aiken that works with children who have experienced early trauma. Over the summer, Rachel organized a soccer clinic with several of her teammates to teach kids the basics of the sport and to give them a day of fun, exercise and learning.
“The most rewarding thing was seeing how happy the kids were and seeing my project be a success,” says Rachel.
Like Rachel, rising high school seniors from all across the state were giving back to their communities this summer through volunteer projects they developed and organized themselves. The one thing these students all had in common: They attended either the 2019 Cooperative Youth Summit in Columbia or the Washington Youth Tour—trips paid entirely by their local electric cooperative.
A four-day trip to Columbia to learn about co-ops and state government, the Cooperative Youth Summit selects 55 students from around the state to attend. A six-day trip to Washington, D.C., the Washington Tour selects more than 70 students to visit our nation’s capital where they meet their elected officials and learn about public service. Each student who was selected for this year’s Cooperative Youth Summit was then invited to propose a summer service project in their community and share that idea with their local co-op. The project ideas were then reviewed by a panel of judges based on their impact on the community.
As a representative in the Cooperative Youth Summit and a member of Aiken Electric Cooperative, Rachel’s project was ultimately selected as the winner of the statewide competition.
“The reason behind this scholarship is to encourage everyone to go out and do something big in their community,” explains Van O’Cain, director of public and member relations for The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “And there were some really good projects this year.”
For everyone involved, the value of this experience goes far beyond the scholarship—it’s benefited both the giver and the receivers in ways that will impact them all for years to come.
“It was just an amazing experience,” says Rachel. “I plan to continue my partnership with Children’s Place and find more ways to fulfill their needs.”
And according to Children’s Place Executive Director Peggy Ford, “Rachel’s that kind of kid who wants to do for others. The children had a fabulous day and continue to play soccer today because of what she raised on behalf of our children. We are really grateful.”