Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative awarded $150,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors from across the cooperative’s service area in April. Each Scholarship of Excellence is for $2,500. This year more than 180 students applied for 60 scholarships. The cooperative awarded 43 academic scholarships to students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees and 17 scholarships to students pursuing trade or technical certification or degrees in a vocational field.

Recipients plan to study dental hygiene, land surveying, construction science, nursing and other fields at schools including Blinn College, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas State Technical College and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Students pursuing bachelor’s degrees plan to attend Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, Sam Houston State University and Texas Tech University, among others. Their planned areas of study include computer science, agriculture, biology, fashion merchandising, forensic and investigative science, and small business entrepreneurship.

The cooperative has given out more than $600,000 in scholarships in the past five years. Get applications for 2023 scholarships in November on bluebonnet.coop.

With the support of a $25,000 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority, St. John Lutheran Church in New Ulm will upgrade playground equipment and make other improvements at its community park.
 
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $64,540 in matching funds from the church, will pay for a covered pavilion, new playground equipment, and wheelchair-accessible sidewalks and table areas.
 
“Our church built this community park in the early 1990s,” said Bryan Haevischer, St. John Lutheran Church council member. “It’s outdated and badly needs to be upgraded. Getting a covered pavilion, new equipment and sidewalks will help the playground be used even more.”
 
Haevischer said the church is responsible for maintaining the park, which has restrooms that are available to the public 24/7.
 
He said the park is used every day, which is why he believes this renovation project is much needed and long overdue.
 
“Receiving this grant made this project possible for our community, and I’m so excited to get started,” Haevischer said. “This park will soon be an even better place for people to take their children. It will give families a nice spot to get away during the day and spend time together.”
 
The community grant is one of six grants being awarded by Bluebonnet and the LCRA through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available here