COLUMBUS – Olivia Tilton, MacKenzie Smith, Joshua Leach, and Tiffany Hatcher have each been awarded $2,800 Louise Freeland Scholarships from Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives.

Named in honor of a long-time employee of Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, the Louise Freeland Scholarships are awarded annually to the children of electric cooperative employees and trustees. A panel of independent judges reviewed the applications and interviewed the finalists before determining the winners.

Tilton, a senior at Talawanda High School, is the daughter of Mike and Teresa Tilton. Her father serves on the board of trustees for Butler Rural Electric Cooperative in Oxford.

Smith, a senior at West Union High School, is the daughter of Kenneth and Kimberly Smith. Her mother works for Adams Rural Electric Cooperative in West Union as a billing clerk.

Leach, a senior at Lancaster High School, is the son of Jason and Lynette Leach. His mother works for South Central Power Company in Lancaster as an accountant.

Hatcher, a senior at Russia Local School, is the daughter of Tim and Nancy Hatcher. Her mother works for Pioneer Electric Cooperative in Piqua as the marketing and member relations assistant.

Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives is a member-owned generation and transmission cooperative and statewide trade and services association serving the 25 electric distribution cooperatives operating in the state of Ohio. The cooperatives’ certified service territory covers nearly 40 percent of the land area in the state and encompasses 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Electric cooperatives collectively serve more than 380,000 homes, farms, businesses, and industries in Ohio.