Klokonos representing Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric for the 2023 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric announced the sponsorship of two delegates for the 2023 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., but is pleased to announce Fred Klokonos, a sophomore at Tri-City United High School, will be representing the co-op as part of Minnesota’s delegation June 13-18.
Fred is the son of Fred and Kathryn Klokonos of Lonsdale.
The sophomore is a Boy Scout working toward the rank of Eagle. One of the required merit badges is, “Citizenship in the Nation.” With his opportunity, Fred could fulfill one of the eight requirements for the merit badge by visiting a national historic landmark and touring the U.S. Capitol.
“This trip would be fun and educational because history is my favorite subject in school,” wrote Fred, noting he has never been to Washington, D.C.
“It would be a privilege to represent our community while learning about Minnesota and other parts of the country,” wrote Fred. “It would be a great opportunity to meet other people from Minnesota and other parts of the country.”
One of the application requirements was to reflect on commitment to community, and how you contribute to your community. “As a Boy Scout, I have learned a lot about what commitment to the community means by contributing to my community in many different ways with different groups of people,” wrote Fred. “Every year I volunteer at least one of the Lion’s pancake breakfasts. Other volunteer projects I have done are cleaning up trash in the ditches, bell ringing for The Salvation Army, cleaning up parks and trails, cleaning out duck houses and collecting aluminum cans for recycling.
“For one of our projects I participated in our troop collected and sorted a total of 1000 pounds of recyclable plastic bags that earned us two benches that have been placed in our community.
“I am also a Den Chief for the Lonsdale Cub Scout Pack. Twice a month I attend their meetings and assist adult leaders in activities and advancements of the younger Cub Scouts in Kindergarten through 5th Grade.”
Among his school activities: played soccer for seven years, on the trap team for three years, participated in band for five years in which he lettered one year.
Fred has been in Boy Scouts since kindergarten. Among his other experiences as a scout, He participated in Grey Wolf, which is a weeklong camp for National Youth Leadership Training, where he earned his certification. Fred learned skills in team building, giving presentations, decision making, problem solving, and more.
This past March, Fred attended Sea Base in the Florida Keys. Sea Base is a high adventure scout camp. He was able to experience sailing, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, and doing conservation work on the Florida Reef.
Fred is also a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Faribault.
Steele-Waseca will be recognizing Fred at this year’s annual meeting. He will be among 34 students and five chaperones representing Minnesota’s delegation. In addition, Steele-Waseca Communications Specialist Randy Sobrack will be among the chaperones for this year’s Youth Tour.
Editor’s Note: SWCE sponsors two high school sophomores or juniors, whose parent(s) or guardian(s) are members, for the all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. It’s an opportunity to learn about cooperatives, our government, tour historical sites, and have fun meeting new friends from Minnesota and across the nation.
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