Kasper and Pickard represent local co-op and community on Washington, D.C. Youth Tour

Lily Kasper and Christine Pickard were selected as Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative’s delegates for the 2025 Youth Tour of Washington, D.C. June 15 – 21. Kasper is a 2025 graduate of Amery High School and Pickard is a 2025 graduate of Clayton High School.

Our local delegates joined more than 2,000 high school students from electric co-ops across the country to learn about rural electric cooperatives, U.S. history, government and democracy. They met congressional leaders and toured Capitol Hill, national monuments, Arlington National Cemetery and Smithsonian Museums. The tour was hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA), with local sponsorship by Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative.

To be selected as Polk-Burnett’s Youth Tour delegates, Kasper and Pickard demonstrated community service and wrote essays about the value of cooperatives in our community.

Lily Kasper 
Kasper is the daughter of co-op member Ramona Lockwood. She will attend Winona State University this fall, where she plans to study nursing. She represented her community as Amery’s First Princess in 2023-24 and served as her school’s band leader and yearbook editor.

In her essay, Kasper wrote that social studies and history were favorite school courses and traveling to our nation’s Capital would give her an opportunity to “apply what I learned in high school and become a more informed member of my community.”

About the value of electric cooperatives, Kasper wrote, “Cooperatives like Polk-Burnett help members of rural areas live comfortably by providing a reliable source of electricity.” She also noted that co-op members have a voice through annual meetings and board elections, plus a share in the earnings. “My mom explained to me about the credits she receives back.”

Christine Pickard 
Pickard is the daughter of co-op member Kent Pickard. She will attend Bellin College in Green Bay this fall, where she plans to study nursing. Her Youth Tour application included community service at her church and the Cattail Clovers 4-H Club, where she helped with highway cleanups. Pickard is also a Firefighter Explorer with the Clayton Fire Department.

In her essay, Pickard wrote that she is interested in learning about history and would appreciate the chance to experience all that Washington, D.C. has to offer.

About the value of electric cooperatives, Pickard wrote that electricity is “something we take for granted” and our lives would be “very challenging” without it. She shared examples of alarm clocks to wake us up, and electric appliances to make breakfast and wash our clothes. She also noted appreciation for co-op employees who “work long hours to restore power after storms so people can live more comfortably.”

“Polk-Burnett is pleased to support youth leadership opportunities for the children of our members, according to our cooperative principles,” said General Manager Steve Stroshane. “We congratulate both of these students and thank them for representing our co-op and community well.”

Polk-Burnett’s Youth Tour program does not affect electric rates; it is funded with unclaimed Capital Credits that would be forfeited to the state if not used for education, and by the generosity of members who donate their Capital Credits. See Youth Tour webpage.

Co-op Youth Tour, Wisconsin Delegation, June 2025