The price for higher education is getting more expensive each year. But, Planters Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) can help defray the cost of college tuition by offering scholarships exclusively to high school seniors who are children of cooperative members.

The scholarships are made available thanks to a 2005 Georgia law change, which now al- low cooperatives to use unclaimed capital credits after five years to fund education, economic development and/or charitable organizations. Until 2006, the unclaimed capital credits were remitted to the Georgia Department of Revenue, under Georgia’s Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act (DUPA).

Capital credits, or patronage dividends, are margins that exceed the cost of providing service for members for a given year. According to cooperative guidelines, capital credits may be returned to members, on a schedule determine by cooperative board of directors and management.

Since 2006, Planters EMC has awarded $130,000 in scholarships to high school seniors in the local area.

Scholarship recipients are chosen at random from applications submitted and awarded $1,000 each. During 2010, approximately 40 scholarships will be awarded.

Planters EMC Scholarship applications are available online at www.plantersemc.com under “Forms,” or call Randy Hill at (478) 982-3102 ext. 246.

The scholarship deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, April 9.