Warsaw, VA – On September 25, 2025, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative hosted its annual Powering Community Golf Tournament. The event brought together more than 40 golfers and 15 sponsors, raising funds to help outfit the Northern Neck Technical Center’s (NNTC) electricity class with over $5,000 worth of new tools.
NNTC is a governor’s STEM academy for agricultural and maritime studies, offering high school students across the Northern Neck hands-on experience in various trades. This year, the electricity program provided a wish list of tools, including wrenches, drills, hammers, pliers, and more. With the funds raised at the golf tournament, and an additional donation from NNEC, every item on NNTC’s list was purchased.
“The support of NNEC has made a great impact on the education and experience available to electricity students through the technical center,” said Westley Woolard, teacher of NNTC’s electricity program. “The students and I are ready to dive in and put all these new tools to work.”
The electricity class at NNTC is a two-year program focusing on both the technical and entrepreneurial aspects of the trade. In the first year, students gain hands-on experience with the installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of electrical systems. The second year emphasizes safeguarding electrical systems and how students can launch their own business. Graduates leave this program with multiple industry credentials, including OSHA 10, CPR/First-Aid Certification, NCCER Electricity Levels One and Two.
NNEC is committed to investing in local students and strengthening the region’s workforce. Over the years, NNEC has had several employees who began their careers as students at the technical center, proof of the program’s lasting impact on the cooperative and the community.
“When we invest in local students, we’re investing in the future of the Northern Neck,” said Richard McLendon, president and CEO of NNEC. “Their success strengthens our cooperative, our workforce, and our community.”
McLendon emphasized the tournament’s success and donation of tools would not be possible without the dedication of NNEC employees who plan, organize and support the event each year. “It’s rewarding to know that our support encourages a lifelong interest in skilled trades,” he said. “Our employees make this tournament possible, and their commitment reflects the cooperative spirit that defines NNEC.”
The Powering Community Golf Tournament is one of the many ways NNEC continues to give back, bringing together community members, sponsors, and employees to support programs that improve the quality of life of its members.
