More Helpful Information for Parents & Participants:

Once students have been selected to go to Washington, D.C. they ask themselves...."What do I need to take with me?  What am I suppose to wear?"  The following should answer some of these questions.

SPONSORS:

Students will be part of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperative's Youth Tour delegation.  The VMD Association is a trade association for the16 rural electric cooperatives in the states of Virginia, Maryland & Delaware.  Individual sponsoring cooperatives pay expenses for the students and will make arrangements for their travel from the cooperative or home to Richmond or Washington and back again.  Some of our group will be meeting us at the hotel.

Approximately 35-37 other states and some 1,400 other youths and chaperons will also be a part of the Youth Tour.  This tour is sponsored by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association - better known as NRECA in Washington, D.C. (our national trade association).

TRAVEL:

Some of our delegation will be traveling from Richmond to Washington and back via bus.  Some will be traveling to Washington via car and joining the group at the hotel and will then travel by bus until we depart to come home.  We will retain the same bus for the entire time of the Youth Tour. Each sponsoring cooperative will be making travel arrangements with each of you prior to the tour.

HOUSING:

Our delegation will be staying at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City.  The address of the hotel is 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA  22202.  The telephone number at the hotel is (703) 418-1234.  Please note that if you need to call the hotel to reach your son or daughter that you will probably have to leave a message as we are in and out of the hotel all day.  Another option is to ask to be connected to the Youth Tour Office.  The last option is to call the Youth Tour Office direct at (703) 413-6808 and leave a message for your son or daughter or me – Robin Byrd Powell, Youth Tour Director from the Va. Md. & Del. Association.  Please indicate that you would like for your son or daughter (give their name) to contact you as soon as they return to the hotel.  We will have your call returned as soon as possible upon our return.  Please indicate when calling that your son or daughter is with the Va. Md. & Del. delegation.  This helps NRECA get the message to us while we are in Washington.  The Youth Tour office will be staffed all day and until 11:15 p.m. in the evenings.  Messages are picked up each time we return to the hotel.  Please remember that we leave in the morning some days and do not return to the hotel until late in the afternoon.  We will get the call returned to you as soon as possible.  If it is an emergency please indicate that when calling.

Students will be assigned a room with other youth delegates.  We assign 3 to each room.  We would ask that each delegate work to make their week, as well as, their roommates week a pleasant one.  We know it is tough having multiple persons to a room, but we are only allowed a certain number of sleeping rooms for our group.  We would ask that each delegate respect their roommates during the four nights in the hotel.  Delegates will have assigned times to be ready to leave in the morning and they will have a room check time each evening to be in their room for the night.  Delegates may stay up after room check in the evening but they must remain in their own room.  We do expect delegates to recognize that there are other guest in the hotel and that they act accordingly.  Delegates will be expected to be up and ready in the morning at the designated time.

MAIL SERVICE:

Mail to our delegation will be distributed by state.  Students can advise their friends and relatives who would like to send them mail that they return on Thursday so unless it is mailed the 1st of the week chances are that they will miss it.  All mail should be addressed as indicated below to speed up delivery.  It is important that the name of the state be included in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope.  Rural Electric Youth Tour, Attention: Youth Tour Office,

RESIDENT NURSE:

There will be two resident nurses on duty at the hotel during the Youth Tour.  They will have first aid equipment and other medical supplies if we need them.  They will also have all necessary emergency numbers for all of the local hospitals.  NRECA will also have a physician and a dentist on call if needed. Students with special medical condition(s) that we should be aware of or on any special medication that we should be aware of that needs to be taken at specific times, are asked to let their cooperative chaperon know.  If a student needs the nurse at any time during the tour, they just need to let their chaperon or the Tour Director know.

INSURANCE:

Insurance is provided by the sponsoring electric cooperative through NRECA in Washington.  The insurance policy is an accident policy, which includes $10,000 in benefits for death or dismemberment and covers medical costs for injuries and illness occurring during the Youth Tour.  It will not cover an accidental injury that occurred before the start of the Youth Tour.  Also there is Accident Insurance Coverage and Health Insurance coverage for each participant while they are on the tour.  Hopefully no one will have an occasion to visit the hospital, but in case they do find themselves at the hospital with an injury the procedure that will be followed is:

Get a copy of the bill from the hospital or clinic and send it to Karen Bailey

at NRECA or to me here at the statewide office in Richmond.  2.  NRECA will work

with the insurance company to make sure the bill is paid.  3.  Chaperon will pick-up

form from Youth Tour office to be used in filing a claim.   4.   If your parents receive

additional bills from the hospital contact Karen Bailey at  NRECA and she will work

with the hospitals or clinic to get claim paid (sometime this  takes much longer than it

should for the claims to be processed) so if your parents keep receiving bills have

them contact me or Karen Bailey at NRECA.

BOAT CRUISE:

On Sunday evening we will be taking a boat cruise on the Potomac River on the "Spirit of Washington" Boat Lines.  This is a new cruise ship and it is especially nice.  A cash soda bar (bring a few dollars) will be available for soft drinks.  NRECA has arranged for an on-board disc jockey to provide dancing music during the cruise and one of the decks is used for dancing.  There will be other states on the boat this same evening.  The attire for this evening is very casual.  Jeans, shorts, etc are most acceptable.  A light jacket or sweater is suggested, as the cruise does not end until l0:30 in the evening and it sometimes gets a little cool on the decks as they are not enclosed.  Chaperons will accompany the group on the boat this evening.

DRESS:

The overall requirements for dress during the tour calls for mostly casual dress however there are times a coat and tie for the guys and dresses or skirts for the girls are appropriate.  Some of our time is spent visiting with governmental officials and we need to look our best during these visits.  Of course our free time and the cruise are casual attire.  We suggest the following:  a bathing suit if you care to swim, a light jacket or sweater for the evening functions in case it gets cool, and one very important item is comfortable shoes - we will be doing a lot of walking during the tour.  Make sure they are a good pair of walking shoes and of course for your casual times you can wear tennis shoes or whatever you normally wear.  This time of the year in Washington is almost always very hot - so try to wear clothes that will be cool (but not revealing) for you.  The program schedule indicates the appropriate attire for each day and evening function.  If a student is found to be in inappropriate clothing or shoes, they will be asked to make an alternate selection.

CHAPERONS:

Adult chaperons from the participating cooperatives will accompany the youth delegates at all times during the tour.  Robin Byrd Powell is the Tour Director from the Va. Md. & Del. Association of Electric Cooperatives and she will be directing the group during the tour.  We are anticipating 43 youths to be a part of our delegation this year and we will also have 11 adult chaperons from the sponsoring cooperatives and several staff persons from the Association who will be with our group at all times during the tour.

TO BRING WITH YOU:

Students needs to bring the following:  camera, spending money (meals, lodging, travel, admission charges and other necessary expenses will be paid for by the sponsoring cooperative).  If a student wishes to buy souvenirs, film, postcards, stamps, long distance phone calls (other than emergency calls and one call to let your parents know that you arrived safely) then they need to bring their own spending money.  We suggest that students do not take a chance on losing a large sum of money by carrying it with them in cash - we suggest that they use travel checks.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOUTH DELEGATES:

Students selected represent their sponsoring electric cooperative on the Youth Tour.  We expect them to act in a most cooperative and responsible way during the tour.  All students have a responsibility to themselves, as well as, to the other youth tour delegates to conform willingly and cooperatively with our very reasonable expectations.  Infractions of the attached rules governing your conduct while on the tour will be considered cause for terminating a students participation on the tour and returning them home immediately at their family's personal expense.