The pandemic reminds us all how essential electric service is.
As I write to you in early April, it’s become increasingly difficult to imagine what the next few weeks will bring. I hope that this issue of Ohio Cooperative Living finds you safe and healthy and provides a pleasant diversion to your socially distanced lives.
As life has grown simpler, slower, and more daunting during the pandemic, we’re again reminded of how essential electric service is, not only to our comfort, but also to our health and well-being. I assure you that each electric cooperative serving Ohio and those across the nation are doing everything possible to ensure a reliable supply of electricity to your homes and businesses. Extraordinary efforts are being made to assure that our lineworkers and power plant operators are as responsibly and compliantly safeguarded as possible, so that they can remain healthy and available to keep our systems running and to make necessary repairs, should trouble come our way.
In this issue, we’re featuring the story of Project Ohio 3.0, the mission trip sponsored by Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives to bring electricity to the remote Guatemalan village of Tierra Blanca Sebol and its hundreds of residents who have lived without the benefits of any electric service. The trip was dramatically affected by the global spread of COVID-19, but as you’ll read, our team was inspirationally awesome as they completed the assignment. We’re grateful for the support we have received from so many, which enabled us to accomplish our goal to bring light, sanitation, and hope to the impoverished people of Guatemala — our third such endeavor in five years — as well as for the safe return of our volunteers.
Stay safe and strong. We’re in this together.
God bless you all.
Pat O'Loughlin is president and CEO of Ohio's Electric Cooperatives.
