Welcome to another edition of Bright Spots, where this month electric cooperatives are marking the end of spring and beginning of summer with a flurry of activity. In Texas, a co-op’s outdoor cooling unit program for nonprofits is gearing up for another busy season, and during this time of graduations, a Tennessee co-op is helping celebrate the class of 2026 at local high schools. Elsewhere, co-op employees are tidying up outdoor spots in advance of summer crowds.

Have a Bright Spot you’d like to share? Please send your news and photos to Victoria Rocha and Katie Allen.    

Summer Cool Downs

In Texas, GVEC is helping members cope with the region’s summer scorchers with free rentals of outdoor cooling units. Offered as a community service, the “Port-a-Cool” program is open to nonprofit groups holding summertime celebrations and fundraisers open to the public. The program consists of six flatbed trailers, each with two portable fans, which would normally cost about $1,200 for an eight-hour rental. The Gonzales-based co-op rents fans for about 150 events March through September.

Nonprofits can’t take a break from fundraising during the summer, so “this GVEC service helps keep attendees comfortable at these events without reducing their fundraising proceeds,” said Tammy Thompson, senior marketing and communications manager.

Instilling Co-op Principles

Sussex County REC welcomed about 30 youngsters to its Sussex, New Jersey, headquarters for Bring Your Kids to Work Day in late April to learn about the seven cooperative principles. “As part of a lesson on our co-op principles, we talked about how concern for community is a big part of what we do,” said Claudia Raffay, the co-op’s director of marketing and member services. 

The group heard from a lineworker about his mutual aid trip to Georgia after Hurricane Helene and a representative from Family Promise of Sussex County, an organization specializing in family homelessness, about homelessness in rural communities. Later, the group assembled more than 150 toiletry kits for Family Promise as a service project. 

Training Tomorrow’s Workforce

More than 200 students from nine area schools gathered at the headquarters of Hill County Electric Cooperative in Havre, Montana, for the co-op’s fourth annual Opportunity in Trades Day. The event aims to give students “a closer look at careers in the skilled trades and introduce them to opportunities that exist right here in our state,” said Tom Metcalfe, the co-op’s marketing manager. 

Students explored a wide range of career paths, including IT, security, mapping and locating, engineering, construction, broadband, electrical work, linework, plumbing and diesel technology. Participants were also able to connect with companies actively hiring in those fields.

Every Shot Matters

Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative celebrated high school seniors with basketball challenges at three local schools. Tip-off was at halftime during games at each school, where seniors competed to be the first to make a layup, free throw and three-pointer. The Tennessee co-op awarded $500 to winners and $250 to the runners-up, as well as swag to the schools’ concession stands.

“Supporting our high school senior classes is one of the best ways we can invest in the future of our service area,” said Benjamin Armstrong, communications coordinator at Centerville-based MLEC. “This challenge was a fun way to make a real impact and practice the ‘concern for community’ cooperative principle.”

Keeping Louisa County Beautiful

The popular recreation area of Louisa County, Virginia, is shining brighter ahead of summer thanks to efforts by community partners like Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. Two years ago, the Fredericksburg-based co-op pledged to maintain a busy stretch of road through the county’s Adopt-a-Highway program. Last month, 22 co-op volunteers collected 34 bags of roadside litter, cleaning both sides of the 3.66-mile stretch of highway. Since 2024, nearly 70 employees have contributed 309 volunteer hours and collected 147 bags of litter.

“REC’s commitment to community extends beyond the power lines,” said Casey Hollins, the co-op's managing director for communications and public relations. “We’re proud of the employees who volunteer their time and efforts to help strengthen the communities we serve. Projects like this show what cooperation and service look like in action.”

Foundational Honors

The charitable arm of Florida’s SECO Energy was recently named Corporate Partner of the Year by the Community Foundation of Ocala/Marion County at the annual Inspire Gala in Ocala honoring nonprofit leaders and organizations. Last year, the SECO Energy Foundation awarded more than $1 million in member bill roundups for projects addressing six areas of need, including health and human services and veterans initiatives. It’s the first such honor for the foundation since its 2023 launch.

“We’ve seen great support from our members who make all of this possible,” said Curtis Wynn, CEO of the Sumterville-based co-op. “The foundation continues to demonstrate its impact and its commitment to giving back to those in need.”

The Spirit of Learning

Montana’s Sheridan Electric Cooperative gave a big assist to this year’s Roosevelt County Spelling Bee at Brockton Schools. Volunteers from the Medicine Lake-based co-op helped register participants from seven county schools. 

The co-op also donated swag and, “in the spirit of learning,” donated word games to the top winners’ prize packages, said Connie Anderson, marketing and member services specialist. The overall winner went on to compete in the state spelling bee.

In Utah, #co-opcares

When the town council in Tridell, Utah, didn’t have the resources to paint the weather-beaten fence and picnic tables in the main park, Moon Lake Electric Association stepped in. Volunteers from the Roosevelt-based co-op spent a morning applying primer to the structures.

The co-op project is part of its larger #co-opcares campaign, “where we focus on building and serving our service territory communities and members, from the small to the big, and the one to the many,” said Collin Peterson, communications specialist. “These much-needed improvements to the Tridell Park will help it become a space for community members to enjoy for years to come.”

Taking Safety on the Road

Since the 1970s, Ohio’s Midwest Electric has conducted safety demonstrations, starting with standalone exhibits at annual meetings and later with tabletop demos at elementary and middle schools, local 4-H clubs and scouting groups. The spring and summer tour is currently underway for the St. Marys-based co-op. Last year, more than 3,500 people attended various safety demos.

“Electrical safety is an important part of our day-to-day work, but it’s not just electric industry workers who need to know about safety,” says Julie Marchal, manager of administrative services. “The general public needs to be aware of the dangers, too.”