Concern for Community
Iowa's rural electric cooperatives care about communities and their people. In fact, Concern for Community is one of the seven core principles guiding the nation's co-ops. This principle states that "While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members."
Across the entire state, you will find people hard at putting this principle into action, making a difference to improve life in rural Iowa. In addition, the cooperative supported Iowa Area Development Group helps bring new industry and jobs to rural Iowa.
Many co-ops offer state-of-the-art satellite television equipment and programs to homes located outside the reach of metropolitan cable TV companies. Other co-ops lease emergency pagers to elderly people, promote programs to improve rural housing, offer Internet services and help home buyers with low-interest loans.
Iowa's electric co-op members strongly believe that neighbors help neighbors. Each year, co-op members voluntarily contribute money to RECare, a fund that helps low-income Iowans pay for heat or weatherizing their homes.
Here is just a sampling of projects in local areas of the state that demonstrate the value of investing in Iowa's future:
- RECs believe in young Iowans. They teach electrical safety programs in schools, and offer educational events at both the local and statewide level. Coordinated through IAEC, many RECs throughout the state support the popular Iowa Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., which annually takes high school students on a whirlwind tour of our nation's capital. Several RECs also provide educational scholarships to students who excel in academic and community activities.
- Eight rural electric cooperatives, representing 25 north central Iowa communities have teamed up to create the Homeward, Inc. program. This program assists rural families with their housing needs and also helps small communities and employers in rural Iowa with employee attraction and retention. In just two years, Homeward, Inc., has assisted over 100 rural Iowa families.
- In the past year, Corn Belt Power member systems reported participating in over 40 community service projects, joining in the national Touchstone Energy effort promoting "the power of human connections." A central message of the Touchstone Energy brand is recognizing the things RECs do to support their communities.
- During that same year, employees and directors of Corn Belt Power and its member systems reported over 18,000 hours of volunteer service given to their communities. Activities ranged from Scout leader, school volunteer and 4-H leader to senior citizen meal delivery, church choir, and service club participation. Individuals reported volunteering from as few as three to as many as 547 hours during the year.
- Showing great commitment to their communities, this past year the dedicated employees of CIPCO's Touchstone Energy cooperatives gave 5,850 hours of volunteer service to local communities. There were two top performers in the Touchstone Energy Community Service Challenge who turned in a combined total of 745 hours of community service.
- One of the services many local electric cooperatives provide for their members is information and expertise on the latest developments in energy efficiency and innovative products that help them save on their electric bills. An ideal situation is to have a model home to showcase and promote these products. Eastern Iowa Light and Power Cooperative at Wilton is completing such a project. Eastern Iowa advises homeowners on energy efficient lighting, appliances and other new technology when building new homes or remodeling their current home. Rebates are offered for some appliances and products that qualify for the program offered by Eastern Iowa. The cost of these rebates is shared by Eastern Iowa and CIPCO, its power supplier.
Submit a story to IAEC about RECs in Their Communities.