Four Richmond Hill High School seniors recently won a combined $20,000 in scholarships for demonstrating the Touchstone Energy values of integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.

Coastal Electric Cooperative CEO Whit Hollowell presented $5,000 Coastal Electric Cooperative Foundation scholarships to Mackenzie Fair, Julia Mazel, Andrew Purcell and Anna Vu during the high school’s awards night May 7.

“We love getting to award these scholarships every year,” Hollowell said. “Because we are an electric cooperative, we not only exist to provide electricity, but also to empower young minds and make our community a better place to live. Our members are invested in seeing our young people succeed because this couldn’t be possible without their generosity.”

The scholarships are funded by Operation Round Up, a program in which co-op members allow Coastal Electric to round up their electric bills to the next whole dollar. Those nickels and dimes are pooled together and invested back into the community. Since its creation in 1993, the Foundation has awarded grants in excess of $1.4 million to numerous charities, organizations and individuals. This year alone, the Foundation has already awarded $35,000 in scholarships to local students and invested $30,000 in the Washington Youth Tour leadership program. This fall, the Foundation will award $22,000 in Bright Ideas grants to fund local educators’ innovative classroom projects.