Summer School at a Wisconsin Co-op

Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative hosted two distinct groups of learners at its headquarters in Centuria this summer: third graders and high school teachers. Summer school youngsters had a show-and-tell with co-op employees on solar energy, electricity and electrical safety. Hands-on activities included trying on safety gear and using a hot stick to catch a rope ring hanging from the ceiling. And a professional development day for teachers from Amery High School focused on co-op careers, including accounting, engineering, technology, HR, communications, line work and executive roles. Co-op employees answered questions about their educational training, job duties and outlook and ways the co-op gives back to the community.

In Texas, a Purr-fect Partnership

When longtime animal welfare advocate Shauna Damron hit a roadblock in her dream to build Catty Shack, a surgical center to provide low-cost spay and neuter services for cats, volunteers at San Patricio Electric Cooperative stepped in. “We learned that her biggest supporter, her husband, had passed away and that she had a number of projects she was trying to complete on her own,” said Brittany Williams, the co-op's public relations manager. Employees from the Sinton, Texas-based co-op spent a Saturday morning building an awning and priming a building at Refugio Area Trap-Neuter-Return, a local nonprofit begun by the Damrons, both co-op members. “It was heartwarming to hear her reaction to the effort our employees put in and how it’s helping her move forward,” Williams said.

Nevada Co-op Fills the Bucket(s)

Back-to-school expenses can add up for parents, and for 19 years Valley Electric Association’s Fill the Bucket drive has helped ease that burden through staff and members collecting supplies and donations at local shopping centers in the co-op's Pahrump, Nevada, service area. This year’s campaign resulted in 11 truck buckets of supplies distributed among 12 schools, as well as $11,000 in monetary donations. “Every year, our community and vendors really show up,” said Amy Carlson, the co-op’s director of corporate affairs and community relations. “The response and generosity from the public truly showed the power of this community.”

Free Books for Summer

This summer, Central Electric Membership Corp. partnered with the Chatham Education Foundation to bring Books on Break to schools in its North Carolina service area. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade selected and took home four to five books at the free book fair. The goal is to prevent summer reading loss. Through $3,000 in donations, the co-op distributed around 500 books to about 125 students. Volunteers from the Sanford, North Carolina-based co-op also set up and broke down the fairs and help students pick their books. “We’re so proud to support a program that gets books directly into the hands of students and helps build a lifelong love of reading,” said Meg Moss, the co-op’s director of marketing and member engagement.

New School Year, New Backpacks

East Mississippi Electric Power Association recently participated in Love Out Loud, a week of community service involving several local churches in Meridian. Through employee donations, EMEPA provided new backpacks filled with school supplies to students living at Baptist Children’s Village, a residential program supporting children in difficult family situations across the state. Each department within the co-op “adopted” a student by buying the items off their school supply lists. “The initiative helped equip each student with the tools they need for a successful school year and a renewed sense of confidence,” said Julie Boles, director of marketing and communication at the Meridian-based co-op.

Keeping Landscapers Safe

Landscapers’ work often brings them dangerously close to power lines and other electric equipment. Overton Power District No. 5 recently hosted a group of local landscapers at an informal luncheon at an OPD5 warehouse in Mesquite, Nevada, during which lineworkers presented safety tips for when landscaping duties get close to electric sources and even offered to check out worksites near power lines. “We wanted these guys to know that we aren’t enforcing anything or causing them delays,” said CEO MeLisa Garcia. “We just want to do whatever is needed to keep them safe around our power lines."

Honors for a Community Champion

Feeding Pasco’s Elderly recently honored Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative’s David Lambert with the 2025 Servant-Leader Award for the co-op’s longtime support. The nonprofit delivers about 8 million meals to seniors in Pasco County, Florida, where more than 25% of its 650,000 residents are seniors. Many in that group are the homebound and isolated “hidden hungry.”

“At WREC, our dedication to the community extends far beyond providing resilient service,” said Lambert, WREC’s executive vice president and general manager and a director of Feeding Pasco’s Elderly. “We are immensely proud of the impact Feeding Pasco’s Elderly has on our senior community and the positive difference it makes in their lives.”

Record Haul at Burn Center Golf Tournament

Minnesota Rural Electric Association’s 20th Annual Burn Center Golf Tournament raised a record $98,000 to support three specialty care facilities in the state. Co-op employees, including line crews, along with medical professionals and industry partners teed off at the Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. Since 2006, the tournament has raised about $600,000 to support the burn centers, which deliver essential care to lineworkers and others suffering serious electrical contact accidents and burns. “The generosity and dedication of our cooperative community—golfers, sponsors and volunteers—make a real difference for those impacted by electrical injuries and severe burns,” said Darrick Moe, CEO of MREA, based in Maple Grove.