EnerStar Electric Cooperative Manager Peter E. Kollinger has announced that for the fifteenth consecutive year the Illinois electric cooperatives will award academic scholarships to high school seniors.

Seven scholarships of $1,250 each will be awarded in 2010 to eligible high school seniors through the Thomas H. Moore Illinois Electric Cooperatives (IEC) Memorial Scholarship Program.

Four scholarships will be awarded to students who are the sons or daughters of an Illinois electric cooperative member receiving service from the cooperative. A fifth scholarship, the Earl W. Struck Memorial Scholarship, will be awarded to a student who is the son or daughter of an Illinois electric cooperative employee. The sixth and seventh scholarships are reserved for students enrolling full-time at a two-year Illinois community college who are the sons or daughters of Illinois electric cooperative members, employees or directors.

“We hope to assist electric cooperative youth while honoring past rural electric leaders with this scholarship,” says Kollinger. “EnerStar Electric Cooperative and the other Illinois electric cooperatives are always seeking ways to make a difference in our communities. One of the best ways we can do that is by helping our youth through programs like this one.”

Candidates are judged on the basis of grade point average, college entrance exam scores, work and volunteer experience, school and civic activities, and a short essay that demonstrates their knowledge of electric cooperatives.

For more information regarding the scholarships, contact Angela Griffin, EnerStar’s Manager of Member Services at 217-463-4145 or 800-635-4145. All necessary paperwork has also been sent to area high school guidance counselors and is also available for download at the cooperative’s website at www.enerstar.com, under the Community Link.