Special to The Beacon
Okefenoke REMC recently held its 33rd annual Youth Awards Banquet to celebrate its 2026 OREMC Scholarship winners, Walter Harrison Scholarship recipients, four Youth Tour Delegates and Georgia Cooperative Council Youth Leadership Conference Delegate.
OREMC Board Vice President Steve Rawl presented the awards.
Ten OREMC Scholarships awarded
Students residing in one of the eight counties OREMC serves — Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Ware and Wayne counties in Georgia, and Baker and Nassau counties in Florida — were eligible to apply for the 10 scholarships of $2,000 each.
Scholarships were awarded to students accepted to a college or technical school and based on their autobiographical sketch, academic achievement, extra-curricular and community service activities, letters of recommendation and financial need. OREMC’s total scholarships awarded to date: $360,250.
This year’s winners are Jayce Chapman, Brantley County High School; Londynn Baker, Alexander Eddy and Zachary Smith from Camden County High School; Colton Crews from Charlton County High School; Ali Palmer from Frederica Academy; Cash Carter and Juan (JV) Manabat from Ware County High School; Kaela Weaver from Weaver Family Home Education; and Abigail Fiske from West Nassau County High School.
Walter Harrison Scholarship recipients
From the OREMC Scholarship winners, Chapman and Smith were selected as finalists for the Walter Harrison Scholarship, which is funded and awarded by the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation.
The scholarship is named in honor of Walter Harrison, a pioneer in the rural electricity movement and a leader at the local, state and national levels in the electric cooperative program. Selected students must be accepted at and planning to attend a college or technical school in Georgia.
Of the 86 finalists nominated from electric membership cooperatives across the state of Georgia, Chapman and Smith were two of 19 awarded a $1,000 Walter Harrison Scholarship for 2026.
Four selected OREMC Youth Tour delegates
OREMC selected four students as 2026 Youth Tour Delegates — Leo Barak, Brunswick High School; Avery Crews, Brantley County High School; Jaiden Elmore West Nassau County High School and Jade Richardson, Baker County High School.
They will join delegates from Georgia’s 38 other electric membership cooperatives for an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., in June for the Youth Tour Leadership Experience.
