Mike said we would learn more about our local electric cooperative, and this morning we sure did. Today was “Youth Day” on the Youth Tour (I thought EVERY day was Youth Day!) All the delegates from each participating state gathered in one big room for an assembly. We sat next to Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Must be a Southern thing...
There are more than 1,500 teenagers from more than 46 states participating in the 2011 Youth Tour. We were all encouraged to cheer for our state and make a lot of noise (MIZ-ZOU-RAH at appropriate times, of course). I (Jazmin) made sure everyone knew who and where the Missouri delegation was seated by leading our group. Cuivre River would have be proud. We rocked the Regency!
You should have heard all those kids shout! Missouri made a lot of noise when they introduced Lindsey Kolb, a delegate from Laclede Electric Cooperative in Lebanon, who will represent Missouri on the NRECA Youth Leadership Council. I was proud to see Lindsey nominated as our state council member. We had a great time together on the Potomac River cruise! Lindsey will represent Missouri next year at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
It was an interesting and inspiring morning. We heard from Glenn English, the head of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, who told us a little about his group’s efforts to represent America’s 900 local electric cooperatives. We also learned about the early days of public power and rural electrification.
The highlight of the morning was a speech by wheelchair athlete Mike Schlappi. The speech was inspiring, sad, funny, educational and entertaining all at once. Did you know that people have 11 negative thoughts per every positive thought? Most people don’t realize what they have until it’s gone. Mike was a normal teenager just like all of us when he was accidentally shot by his best friend.
Mike told us how he overcame the emotional hurt of his injury, and how he’s went on to live an exciting and full life in spite of his physical injury. How you might ask? Mike Schlappi followed his dream and passion for basketball. Basketball? That’s right! Mike Schlappi won 2 Paralympic Gold Medals (1988 Seoul & 1992 Barcelona) and 2 Bronze Medals (1996 Atlanta & 2000 Sydney).
I think his motto “If you can’t stand up, stand out” is the greatest, and everyone, disabled or not, can be inspired by his personal story.
The inspiration didn’t end there. After lunch, we made a quick stop at the White House for our Missouri Youth Tour group shot. I (Emily) still can’t believe that I am actually standing in front of the White House. What an amazing feeling! You always see the White House on television and in the movies, but the White House is much larger than I expected. Anyway, time for our Youth Tour group photo in front of the White House. See if you can find me! I'm the one wearing the blue shirt. Ha Ha!
Who knows… Maybe President Obama, or the First Lady Michelle Obama, is looking out at us right now!
This is a very historic time in our countries history. I (Oliver) know times are tough for a lot of people right now, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for the Youth Tour. All of this for taking a few hours to write an essay about the cooperative principles and entering the Cuivre River Youth Tour Contest. I have learned what it means to be a part of a cooperative. Once again, it's time for a Cuivre River Youth Tour group photo in front of the White House.
This picture was taken with my phone. Sorry for the picture quality! Dana, Jill, Christian, Jazmin, Emily and Oliver taking a moment to say "Youth Tour" in front of the White House. Washington, D.C. is awesome. Trip of a life time indeed! Can we enter the Youth Tour Contest again next year? Please!!!
Directly across the street from the White House was a protestor who has stayed in the same tent for 26 years. It’s hard to believe someone could give up everything and dedicate their lives to voicing their opinion 24/7/365 for 26 years. What a country we live in, where people are free to voice their opinions, regardless of their political beliefs! After the White House we loaded up the buses. Odds on one bus and evens on the other. Hey Missouri! 1... 2... 3... 85! That's the number. All present and accounted for. Let's roll Mr. D!
We then loaded our bus and traveled across the Potomac River past the Pentagon. You can see a difference in the color of the repaired Pentagon walls where the American Airlines Flight 77 hit on September 11, 2001. Everyone knows where they were when this event happened. Next stop, the United States Air Force Memorial. It features three arcs rising into the sky. They mimic the contrails of the Air Force Thunderbirds signature bomb burst maneuver.
The arcs remind me (Christian) of the St. Louis Gateway Arch with the stainless steel. Black granite walls list the names of the Air Force recipients of the Medal of Honor. There are several large freestanding glass panels around the memorial that feature airplanes flying in the missing man formation. Did you know that the United States Air Force Memorial is the newest memorial in Washington, D.C.? It was dedicated on October 14, 2006 by President Bush.
Once again, we loaded up the tour bus and traveled south down George Washington Memorial Parkway to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. I (Dana) thought our first president would have a nice house, but I had no idea his estate would be so beautiful. We toured Washington’s 22-room mansion and saw the rooms where he slept, ate and worked. George and Martha Washington lived here from 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799.
The view of the Potomac River from his back deck was amazing. The grounds of the Mount Vernon Estate were beautiful! We toured more than a dozen outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. Our Youth Tour Delegates walked all over the 8,000 acre plantation.
We got lost several times in the gardens, hiked on the Forest Trail, and viewed the tomb where George and Martha Washington rest in peace. We even witnessed a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb. One of the coolest things we did at Mount Vernon was walk through the areas where the movie “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets” starring Nicolas Cage was filmed. Great movie! We watched this movie on our bus ride from Jefferson City to St. Louis.
After that, a few of us got together on George Washington's lawn overlooking the Potomac River and just laid there watching the boats go down the river. Plus it felt great to get off our feet and enjoy the sunshine. Did I mention we were on George Washington's lawn? How cool is that!
For dinner, we stopped at the mall of all malls… The Pentagon City Mall! OMG! This mall rules. I (Jazmin) wish it was in the St. Louis area. They have everything. Not enough time for shopping Mike Marsch! Then, it was time to get back to the memorials and the real reason we came to Washington, D.C.
We arrived at the Lincoln Memorial. However, the Reflecting Pool that runs between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument was drained for repairs and improvements. So sad… Oh well, we climbed the stairs where Martin Luther King once delivered his “I Have A Dream Speech” and gazed at the 19-foot marble statue of Honest Abe. Wow! What an amazing monument highlighting our 16th President and his famous speeches like the Gettysburg address.
Finally, we visited the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial. Pictures do not capture the magnitude of this grand memorial. Unlike the other memorials in Washington, D.C. which rise above the ground level, the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial features two black granite walls that are sunk into the ground.
The two walls stretch more than 250 feet each and contain 144 panels containing the names of more than 58,000 men and women who died for our country. The names seemed to continue forever. All of the war memorials helped me realize the true toll of war and gave me a better appreciation for our service men and women.
Thank you for the freedoms I enjoy!
After returning to the hotel, Mike let us hang out in the hallway and play a few games. A bunch of us ordered pizza and just hung out talking about our hometowns and high schools. This was a blast! Then, we got to bed around 11:30 — pretty early for us. But I’m sure we’ll need the rest for tomorrow. I can't wait for the Cardinal game tomorrow! Yeah...
