Randolph EMC RE-Connect Randolph EMC

Communications Manager Nicole Arnold interviews 2023 Youth Tourist Colton Freeman upon his return from Washington, D.C. Colton discusses his time with other young people from across the country while in the nation's capital. The Youth Tour is sponsored by REMC and other electric cooperatives every summer so that students can learn more about cooperatives.

Nicole introduces Colton Freeman, a sophomore at North Moore High School, who will represent REMC at the 2023 Youth Tour. Colton and students selected from co-ops all over the nation will converge on Washington, DC, this summer to meet their members of Congress and Senators and learn more about the electric cooperative model and industry. Colton is a former winner of our Touchstone Energy Sports Scholarship and attended basketball camp at UNC-Chapel Hill when he was in middle school. REMC is honored to shine the spotlight on this young man who is an emerging leader in his school and community.  You will hear more about his experiences from this summer's Youth Tour in a future podcast.If you know of a high school student who is interested in the Youth Tour, please visit our website and pass this information along to a promising young leader.

Host Nicole Arnold interviews Mark Hensley, the Executive Director of Randolph Senior Adults Association in Asheboro, NC, in the first part of the show. Mark speaks on the challenges and opportunities facing Randolph County's growing senior population, and he discusses the Sharing Success Community Grant award RSAA has received from REMC. In the second part of the show, Nicole interviews Diane Smith, Executive Director of West Chatham Food Panty in Siler City, NC. Diane discusses the plight of the hungry in our service area and the history of dedicated volunteers who work to meet their needs. Nicole and Diane talk about the Sharing Success Community Grant, the food pantry, and its positive impact in the community.

In the first half of the episode, Host Nicole Arnold interviews President of People Helping People Chrissy Haynes. PHP is REMC's 501(c)3 fund that contains all the change rounded up by members who participate in this charity to help members in need. In the second half of the show, Nicole interviews Dremia Meier of Randolph County Habitat for Humanity. Dremia details the impact that REMC has had in our partnership with Habitat and discusses how to help out this local organization during the holidays.

Nicole Arnold speaks with Jeff McDuffie, Safety and Environmental Coordinator about the importance of safety. Later, Nicole interviews Member Service Specialist Selene Lopez about how she used her training to save the life of her cousin.

Nicole interviews Trinity High School Science teacher Mindy Thornlow, who spent her summer internship with Randolph EMC. Mindy was selected by the Kenan Fellows Program for the prestigious honor of a year-long career development program that included summer training on-the-job at your local cooperative. Randolph EMC partnered with NC State and the Kenan Program to host Mindy at our Asheboro and Robbins headquarters. In this episode, Mindy recounts her experiences during her summer internship, including her time in the field with crews restoring power to members experiencing outages. She also discusses her priorities in educating her high school students about future opportunities and meaningful careers in energy.