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. That’s almost 1,500 teenagers from more than 46 states. We were all encouraged to cheer for our state and make a lot of noise (MIZ-ZOU-RAH at appropriate times, of course).
You should have heard all those kids shout! Missouri made a lot of noise when they introduced Trina Stumpe, a delegate from Crawford Electric Cooperative in Leslie, who will represent Missouri on the NRECA Youth Leadership Council. I was proud to see Trina nominated as our state council member. We had a great time together in Jefferson City during our tour of the Missouri Capitol. Trina 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. 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. The way he put it was, “If you can’t stand up, stand out.”
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 still can’t believe that I am actually standing in front of the White House. What an amazing feeling. This is a very historic time in our countries history. Who knows… Maybe President Obama is looking out at us right now! Anyway, I'm the one wearing the maroon shirt. See if you can find me!
Directly across the street from the White House was a protestor who has stayed in the same tent for 25 years. It’s hard to believe someone could give up everything and dedicate their lives to voicing their opinion 24/7/365 for 25 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 to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. I 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.
For dinner, we stopped at the Pentagon City Mall, where we looked around four floors of shops. Then, it was back to the memorials. We arrived at the Lincoln Memorial just before sunset. 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. Then, we walked back down the steps to see the Korean War Veterans Memorial, where stone soldiers seemed to march through the grass.
Finally, we visited the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial. 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 those men and women who died for our country.
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.
