Community

A tradition of showing up

sbradford — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:46:41 +0000

A tradition of showing up

May 1, 2026

Roger Bender doesn’t think much about the number. From his farm outside Fort Loramie, where he’s a member of Piqua-based Pioneer Electric Cooperative, he’s been showing up to blood drives for more than 50 years. A pint here. Platelets there. Time spent in folding chairs at St. Michael Hall, sleeves rolled up, watching as the same people come through the door.

Over time, it’s added up to hundreds of donations — gallon upon gallon — and a mountain of T-shirts to mark them. Reds, blacks, faded grays, they sit in drawers and closets, each one stamped with a message: “Give blood. Give love.” “Find the hero in you.” “Be the good.” Some mark milestones, others came from small-town drives meant to thank donors and draw in new ones.

Bender keeps his favorites; they’re a regular part of his wardrobe. But he also gives them away: to neighbors who can’t donate anymore, to friends, to anyone who might wear one out into the world and make someone else think twice about passing by the next blood drive.

He doesn’t give blood for the shirts. He does it for what happens inside St. Michael Hall, the recurring home to Fort Loramie’s drives.

Behind the scenes

Hours before go-time on the day of a blood drive, St. Michael’s is already awake. The Fort Loramie Community Service Club (of which Bender is a member) handles the setup. Tables are lined up in neat rows, and volunteers move with quiet efficiency to prepare the space.

National Honor Society members from the local high school arrive early to help, taking care of the heavier lifting. The American Legion Auxiliary prepares food for the donors — hot sandwiches and homemade cookies are available for those who give (a step up from the usual bagged snacks available at blood drives).

Roughly one in eight of the town’s residents (somewhere around 200 people) will pass through the hall over the course of the day. It’s more than just a routine for many in the community; it’s become something deeply personal.

Everyone has a reason

Bender has seen it happen again and again. He recalls the story of a young couple who never miss a drive, often bringing their three children along. “Her mom had cancer,” the man says. “And that used a lot of blood.”

Bender sees another man at a table across the way — someone who, by his own admission, hates needles. Still, Bender says he comes to every drive. “If my wife could go through what she did for three years of cancer treatment,” the man told him, “I can deal with this.”

There’s the story of a young man who suffered severe burns and needed transfusions to survive. Before it happened, he had already donated more than 70 times himself. When word spread, the community responded the way it always does, by showing up.

A point of community pride

Years ago, a retired nurse named Irene Boerger helped build the local blood donation program into something lasting. She encouraged people not just to give, but to return, and to bring others with them. Over time, that persistence shaped the culture of the area. At one point, it became one of the highest donor regions in the country on a per capita basis.

It doesn’t matter to any of them that the blood collected doesn’t necessarily stay in Fort Loramie. It goes to supply hospitals across an 18-county area. The need is constant, with the blood being used for cancer patients, trauma victims, and surgeries that can’t wait.

To meet that need, the drives have expanded. What used to be three per year in Fort Loramie is now six. Nearby communities have done the same, creating more opportunities for people to step forward.

Do what you can

For years, Bender donated whole blood, a process that took 10 minutes or less. But after retiring from teaching in 2011, he was encouraged to switch to platelets and plasma, which are especially important for cancer and burn patients. The process takes longer. Blood is drawn, separated, and returned in cycles. Sometimes it keeps him in the chair for more than an hour.

Last year alone, he donated 28 times. It sounds like something worth bragging about, but Bender is more proud of the community effort than he is his own contribution. “I’m just fortunate to be healthy enough,” he says.

There are still small rewards. T-shirts. Sweatshirts. Coffee mugs. Tokens meant to thank donors and maybe catch someone’s attention out in public. For Bender, it’s more about what he leaves behind.

Tags

Pioneer Electric Cooperative

Community

Concern for Community

What if Midwest Electric was not a cooperative?

sbradford — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:57:28 +0000

What if Midwest Electric was not a cooperative?

February 2, 2026

Matt Berry

There would be a number of differences if we were not a cooperative. For example:

You would not have “one member, one vote.” This means you would not have an eight-member board made up of consumers that is responsible for approving electric rates and policies that govern the cooperative, as well as setting the strategic direction of the cooperative.
You would not receive an allocation of your share of the co-op’s profits, or margins, and you certainly would not receive your share of the $1.6 million in patronage capital that was paid back this past November.
I expect, also, that you would not have the Midwest Electric Community Connection Fund board, which is responsible for awarding some $50,000 per year in round-up funds to local charities.
You also would not have the Midwest Electric Revolving Loan Fund, which has provided nearly $3.5 million in low-interest loans to area small businesses to help keep and create jobs in west-central Ohio.
Because of state law, we would not be able to own our power generation, which we do today through our ownership share of Buckeye Power. Instead, all of you — and us — would have to buy electricity from the market. Like most markets, electric prices rise and fall for a variety of reasons. Right now, market prices are rising quickly due to higher demand and shorter supplies. But Ohio co-op members have not been affected by the rising market prices, because we own all our power generation needs.

Allow me to take a moment or two to talk about the current state of the industry. We talk a lot about how important Buckeye Power is to you, our members.

Matt Berry, CEO
mberry@midwestrec.com

Almost all the electricity you use these days is made by burning coal. And most of that generation comes from dispatchable baseload plants like the Cardinal Power Plant. And, importantly, today and for the near future, Buckeye Power has more generation capacity than it needs to serve its members.

That’s significant at a time when we are hearing news reports about all the data centers locating in the region and the likelihood that those new electric loads will result in higher electricity prices — for those who have to buy their power from the market. This is not to suggest that the electric rates you will be paying in the future will not be going up — they will be. But we can take some comfort in knowing that Buckeye Power owns most of the generation that we will need for the near future. So our rate increases should be considerably less than what the other electric utilities in Ohio are paying.

We can also take comfort in the fact that we do operate as a cooperative and because of that, you have a board of directors and a group of employees who are focused on protecting your interests as a member-owner and committed to keeping your power as reliable and affordable as it can be.

And, we are proud of the fact that, as a cooperative, we continue to maintain very competitive electric rates, despite the fact that the cost to us is greater to serve rural areas with fewer meters per mile.

As we enter our 90th year of business, I am grateful that we have the cooperative business model, which serves us well at Midwest Electric. And I thank you for being a member.

Tags

Community

community connection

co-op member

Behind the scenes

sbradford — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:34:01 +0000

Behind the scenes

February 1, 2024

Pat O'Loughlin

Up Front

The integrated electric network that brings power to your home or business is a technical marvel. That network manages the flow of electrons, traveling at the speed of light, from the massive generation stations that produce them to towns and cities, to homes and businesses across the country.

Much of what makes this system work goes unnoticed. Of course, everyone sees the poles, wires, and transformers that connect every neighborhood up and down nearly every roadway, or the few large generating stations that produce the power we distribute.

What’s probably noticed least — but what makes the whole thing work — are the people working to ensure that you receive reliable electric service as affordably as possible.

It takes more than the lineworkers you see up on the poles, more than the power plant operators who keep the generators running, to make this complex system work.

In fact, most of the work to provide that reliable electric service all day, every day, goes on behind the scenes, unnoticed by nearly everyone. It requires engineers, accountants, service representatives, mechanics, warehouse workers, technicians, IT professionals, communicators, dispatchers, schedulers, supervisors, managers, and more. What’s more important even than the job descriptions are the skills and attitudes that people in those jobs bring to their roles. It takes people who are committed, service-oriented, accountable, and available when and where they’re needed.

You may not know it, but many of the people doing that behind-the-scenes work are your neighbors. People who work for electric cooperatives typically live in the communities they serve. It’s yet another reason you can be certain that decisions made by the co-op are made with the best interests of their members in mind.

I would just like to say, to the nearly 1,500 workers employed by Ohio’s electric cooperatives, our power plants, and our key suppliers — all of whom play a part in providing that vital service safely and reliably every day: Thank you all; we couldn’t do it without you.

Tags

cooperative employee

reliability

Community

A trip down memory lane

sbradford — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:03:15 +0000

A trip down memory lane

September 1, 2023

Theresa Ravencraft

Co-op People

We all take a trip down memory lane once in a while, reminiscing about special times and meaningful life events. Beth Sanders, founder of LifeBio, has made it her mission to document those trips — to improve the quality of life for older adults by preserving their family history, one life story at a time.

It started in the 1990s. Sanders’ grandmother, Margaret Stitzinger, had early-stage dementia, so Sanders decided to conduct an interview with her to learn more about the family. What she found were vivid memories, such as the flu epidemic of 1918; growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania; and getting married.

“I didn’t know my grandma as much as I thought I should,” says Sanders, a member of URE–Union Rural Electric Cooperative in Marysville. “It was like discovering gold. I could have lost that information if I hadn’t taken the time to really talk to her.” Sanders compiled her grandmother’s biography and passed it along to family members at the funeral after her grandmother died a few years later.

That experience helped her realize two things: first, that she proudly came from a long line of strong, influential women; second, how important it was to engage with her grandmother, listen to her story, and record her family history before it was lost forever. “Listening is good for all of us,” Sanders says. “When they tell their story, it gives them purpose. There’s a reason they’re here.”

LifeBio uses a simple app interface to allow relatives to record stories and memories that otherwise might be lost.

Sanders knew she could help aging adults improve the quality of their lives simply by helping them tell their life stories. It became her passion, which she turned into LifeBio in 2000.

The company initially focused on capturing life stories using journals and an online biography system. Since then, LifeBio, located in Marysville, has grown into a health-tech company, developing apps that are used by seniors, health care workers, health systems, and educators.

Today, LifeBio employs more than 45 people in 10 states and works with major health care plans nationwide to provide memory-care services. “We have to know people to deliver the best quality care for them,” Sanders says. “For us, it’s about the process, not the product.”

Beth and Jeff Sanders

Her husband, Jeff, is LifeBio’s chief technology officer. He builds and oversees the company’s apps and works with the technology team to develop and introduce new initiatives. Together, they have developed three main programs for use in memory care.

MyHello is a social support program designed to reduce loneliness. It’s funded by a national health care plan. “Incredible technology has enabled us to connect people to each other,” Sanders says. “They sign up online or by phone, answer a few questions, and are matched with another participant. Then once per week for 13 weeks, the participants call each other at a designated time to share life experiences.”

MyHello aims to foster a feeling of connection, which in turn reduces depression. “We have done clinical studies that prove we reduce depression and increase happiness by connecting people who can share stories and reminisce with one another,” Sanders says.

The LifeBio Memory app prompts users with a series of questions, encouraging them to recount life moments, and records and transcribes their responses. The app is the result of a substantial grant from the National Institute on Aging to improve the quality of care for people with dementia.

They’re currently developing a third component called LifeBio Brain, an app that will be used as a 10-minute cognitive screening tool for dementia. “We have partnered with Brown University to move the test away from being a paper-and-pencil test to an interactive app for users,” she says.

And there is more on the horizon. The Sanderses are looking to further expand the company and develop additional memory care initiatives.

“My legacy is helping others realize their legacy,” she says, “thus helping people experience more love, hope, and peace.”

Tags

Union Rural Electric Cooperative

co-op member

Community

Never forgotten

sbradford — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 16:31:01 +0000

Never forgotten

August 1, 2023

Margie Wuebker

Features

The sounds of high-pitched laughter and delighted squeals fill the air on this late-spring Saturday afternoon at Carthagena Park in rural Mercer County as youngsters scramble over brightly colored playground equipment.

Those happy sounds, from children who are mostly unaware of the story behind the beautifully and caringly renovated park, help console the entire community, and specifically the family of the three brothers in whose memory the equipment was dedicated.

Gary, Brad, and Todd Wuebker were often described by relatives and friends as the perfect trifecta — brothers who worked hard, played hard, and lived life to the fullest. They also were brothers who lived and died doing what they loved: working together on the family farm.

From celebration to tragedy

Not far from the park, the boys’ mother, Nancy Wuebker, sits in her kitchen at GBT Family Farm, in the heart of Midwest Electric co-op territory. She recalls the events of Aug. 10, 2021, that forever changed the lives of her family and the close-knit farm community they call home.

“It was so unusual to have all three boys home for lunch, so we celebrated with pizza,” she says. “I remember them here around the table, eating, talking, and laughing. They seemed to have all the time in the world before heading outside to tackle farm chores that never seem to end.”

The otherwise quiet afternoon was shattered when 35-year-old Brad rushed back to the house yelling for his mom to get help. His older brother, Gary, 37, and younger brother, Todd, 31, had gone into the manure pit to repair a pump and they were no longer responding. She grabbed the cell phone, dialed 911, and ran outside, only to discover that Brad had entered the pit to help his brothers.

Sirens from three ambulances and assorted fire trucks filled the air. Grim-faced first responders converged on the scene along Coldwater Creek Road, hoping for the best yet fearing the worst. They knew from their training that manure pits can generate toxic gases that, depending on concentration levels, can cause a range of complications from inflamed eyes or difficulty breathing to collapse and death.

An empty house

The brothers, all unconscious, were rushed to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater, where medical personnel were unable to save Gary or Todd. Brad, who hadn’t been in the pit quite as long, was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but succumbed several hours later.

Their father, John Wuebker, had been en route to a Dairy Farmers of America board meeting in Medina when he got a notification on his phone about an accident at the farm, which he operated along with his sons. He immediately turned around and headed back to Mercer County. He discovered the overwhelming loss upon his arrival at the hospital. “We came home to an empty house,” he says quietly. “We had been blessed with three sons and now they were all gone.”

Early the next morning, after a long, sleepless night, John headed out to the barn; work, of course, never stops on the farm. He found family, friends, and neighbors had already arrived to help.

“This was a terrible tragedy,” Nancy says. “But you cannot believe the outpouring of love and support that we have received and continue to receive.”

Comfort and renewal

Messages of sympathy and support came from near and far, from longtime friends and complete strangers. Soon after, friends organized a fundraiser.

Donations poured in, and a decision was made to purchase agriculture-themed playground equipment for the community park, where the brothers used to play baseball for the Carthagena Cardinals. Three shade trees and three comfortable benches, all marked with commemorative plaques, completed the renovations.

“Our park runs on a shoestring budget,” says Alan Kremer, president of the park board. “We could never afford something like this. It is truly a gift from heaven.”

Dedication ceremonies took place last year on the first anniversary of the tragedy, and nearly 1,000 people came out for the observance — which included barbecued chicken dinners, music, and cornhole games. Mark Hoying, a local priest and a family friend, blessed the park, including the new playground equipment, using a small tree branch to disperse holy water.

Attendees shared poignant memories and comforting hugs. There were plenty of tears for the brothers, but lots of smiles, too.

Memories, eternal

In the months since the 2022 dedication, a large cow-shaped plaque with a photo of the brothers has been mounted on the side of the enclosed picnic shelter (shown in the photo gallery). The plaque is also inscribed with their eulogy, written by cousins Diana Kramer and Kevin Wuebker, describing the men in loving detail to keep their memories alive in perpetuity.

Gary, the oldest, lived at the farm and also worked part-time at Mercer Landmark, the local farm co-op, where he was known as Mr. Fix-It and was often called upon when something broke or needed revamping. Gary loved working with the cattle and never complained when he had to get up at night to check on the herd or deliver a calf. He sometimes bottle-fed a new arrival to make sure it got a good start in life.

Brad, the middle brother, was so proud of the house he had recently purchased near the farm. He also worked at Mercer Landmark, where he took special interest in keeping the tractors clean and in tip-top shape — particularly the trusty Ford New Holland 8770. Brad enjoyed spraying weeds and working with the hogs, and always made sure everything was in its rightful place.

Todd, the youngest, worked at Rindler Truss. He was the construction guy who built whatever was needed on the farm — a fixer, like Gary. He also had a passion for the dairy herd, and had a knack for managing the computerized robotic milking system. Most of all, though, Todd enjoyed being a dad. He and his wife, Angela, already had two children — Ava and Levi — and were eagerly awaiting the birth of their third child. Their daughter Everly arrived just weeks after the accident.

Although neither Gary nor Brad was married, it was not unusual for the pair to argue good-naturedly about which one was the best uncle. Family members proclaim it was a tie.

Family tradition

“From the time they were little, our boys only wanted to be farmers like their grandpa, dad, uncles, and cousins,” Nancy says. “Farming was definitely in their blood. We preached safety; they grew up knowing the dangers as well as the rewards.”

She recalls the boys helping in the garden as youngsters, and how they quickly escaped to the barn as soon as the last weed was pulled and the last row was hoed. They never turned down a chance to drive the tractor, and always worked as a team when it came to planting, harvesting, and baling hay. No one complained about the long hours or the seemingly endless array of chores.

Although dairy and field work remains virtually unchanged, the family decided to sell the hogs as a means of reducing the workload, and nephews now help with day-to-day chores around the farm; nevertheless, retirement is not nearly as close as John once envisioned.

Tears still come from time to time, but the Wuebkers say family, friends, and faith sustain them in their loss, and they often cite John 15:13 — “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's brother.”

“I sometimes wonder why they all ended up in the pit that day,” Nancy says. “They went to help each other, like always. Deep in my heart, I know one could not have gone on without the others. They did everything together in life and now they are together in eternity.”

Editor’s note: Though she shares their surname, author Margie Wuebker is not related to the subjects of this story.

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Looking ahead to 2023

sbradford — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 19:00:59 +0000

Looking ahead to 2023

January 1, 2023

Pat O'Loughlin

Up Front

Each year, I try to look ahead to the opportunities and challenges that appear to be on the horizon for Ohio’s electric cooperatives. While the topics I’ve highlighted have been important, my views on the future have been overwhelmed by events that “stole the show” in recent years. In 2020, COVID dominated our daily lives, but it was unheard of as I put together my list for that year. Last year, there were certainly signs of inflation ahead and challenges to the supply chain for certain goods, but no indication of the enormous economic impact of supply chain disruptions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or the staggering inflation we would endure through 2022. Yet with sound business plans and a capable workforce, electric cooperatives across Ohio still delivered safe and reliable electricity at affordable prices — even without knowing much about future headlines.

So, at the risk of being overshadowed by upcoming events, here’s a look at what we see ahead for 2023:

Cost pressures are expected to continue this year, particularly in energy commodities like natural gas, coal, and petroleum products. Despite these cost pressures, we expect that electric cooperatives will provide high-quality service at a cost that is lower than other utilities — again — this year.
We’re continuing our work to improve the operation and maintenance of our power plants. The availability of our plants to produce electricity during critical periods of high demand becomes more important each year as the number of baseload power plants that can be dispatched to meet electric demand continues to shrink.
Government overreach in regulating energy industries generally, and electricity production specifically, is expected to be a headwind we will fight throughout the coming year.
Electric cooperatives are planning to take a larger role in local community development projects as we seek to keep some of the taxes that are already being collected on electricity sales available for projects that benefit the local community where they’re collected.
We will continue to emphasize workforce training and development for lineworkers, power plant employees, and managers to help us make sound decisions in our day-to-day work and continue to build a strong and enduring business foundation for the challenges that lie ahead — both seen and unseen.

Hope you and your family enjoy a safe and happy New Year.

Tags

New Year's

government

Community

First responders for the soul

sbradford — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 15:22:24 +0000

First responders for the soul

December 1, 2022

Vicki Reinhart Johnson

Features

When people are dealing with natural disasters, loss of loved ones, addiction, or any of a number of traumatic life events, they often find themselves in need of spiritual guidance.

Enter the International Alliance of Community Chaplains. “We’re trained in chaplaincy, how to do counsel with people in trauma and at critical incidents,” says Tracy Elder, chairman of the board and former president of the group. ”We’re helping people to recover from any type of trauma, no matter what it is.”

Elder lives in Knox County, where she’s a member of The Energy Cooperative of Newark. She leads a worldwide team of nearly 1,000 board-certified volunteer chaplains trained to provide mental, emotional, and spiritual support, counseling, addiction and recovery services, and critical incident support wherever they’re needed. They might once have been victims themselves, or they could be first responders — law enforcement, fire, and emergency services personnel. Chaplains work with community service, courts, schools, hospitals, hospice, and veterans.

The organization started in 2004, after a series of tornadoes moved through South Carolina, leaving devastation behind. “There were all these people standing in front of these broken homes,” Elder says. “It was like a scene out of Twister, the movie.”

That scene was the incentive to form the corps. First, it was a small local group in Seneca County, where Elder worked as chaplain for the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office. But it grew, and now 18 years later, the organization reaches across the United States and to Europe, Africa, Barbados, the Caribbean, and Polynesia — the most recent additions this year in Hawaii and the Samoan Islands.

Even before she formed the organization, Elder was at Ground Zero during 9/11 in New York. Members have been in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and at countless similar disasters. “Those are the things where you realize people really need spiritual care, when their whole world has been rocked,” she says.

But natural disasters aren’t the only devastating events in people’s lives. “It can be a divorce, domestic violence, or losing a child or another family member,” she says. “These things happen every single day, and not everyone is equipped to deal with the traumas of life.”

Working with a former student with tribal connections, Elder said the organization has extended its services west.

“Right now, we’re doing a lot of work in Montana with (Native American) tribes,” she says. “I was more surprised than anyone to find they really welcomed us in. We put together a class there, and next thing you know, we have all the tribes in Montana signed on.”

An offshoot of the parent organization, the Alliance represents more than 40 nations, including all the tribes in Montana as well as several in Washington state, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Elder says the corps is one of the only chaplaincy organizations working with Native American tribes at the tribal council level.

“If you look at the tribal nations, there’s a lot of trauma historically, and right now they’re losing their children to suicide,” Elder says. “They seem to have a disproportionate number of their people suffering from different traumas,” she says. “This gives them something now where they’re able to heal their people.”

No matter their age, gender, or race, chaplains are trained to help people face their addictions and move past trauma to regain their lives. “What we’re teaching them is a new way to communicate, and doesn’t everybody need that?” she says. “We’re having the hard conversations.”

When someone is addicted to a substance, there are physical, mental, and emotional aspects.

“There’s a level of shame that goes in there with the people who are addicted, but they’re not able to communicate well,” she says. “How do you tell someone what you left behind and were willing to do to continue the addiction? Most of them can’t get past the misunderstandings other people have about it.”

Chaplains help people look within themselves.

“The first step is telling God and another person you’re wrong,” she says. “That’s the conversation that has to happen. They must face it within themselves. There’s something in there. It doesn’t have to make sense to anybody else. It makes sense to them.”

It’s a similar process when helping people through domestic violence and relationship issues. ”That’s the first step in getting people to heal, because of the way trauma works on the way we think and the way that we see the world,” she says.

This fall, the organization launched a new program that goes beyond an immediate need for chaplaincy to long-term care.

“We now have board-certified coaching chaplains,” Elder says. “One of the things we find as chaplains is that people are in need not only of spiritual care, but after-care. They’re not sure how to put their lives back together.”

After significant life changes, coaching chaplains help them find a path back to a new life.

“It’s a new normal,” she says. “Life is not the same as it was.”

She says coaches don’t do mental health counseling and diagnosis of mental illness, but help people get moving toward their new lives.

“To go and help. That’s what it’s all about.”

Tags

The Energy Cooperative

first responder

Community

Neighbor helping neighbor

sbradford — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 14:48:04 +0000

Neighbor helping neighbor

December 1, 2022

Jeff McCallister

Power Lines

Jennifer Thornburgh, a member of Bellefontaine-based Logan County Electric Cooperative, hadn’t really thought much about the few pennies she added each month to her electric bill.

Like many other co-ops, LCEC offers its members the choice to round their bills to the next full dollar — and then uses that small change to help fund worthy causes within the community.

Co-ops around the state and nation have a variety of names for similar programs — Operation Round Up, Community Connection, People Fund, etc. — but to those individuals and organizations that benefit from them, they could simply be called “Hope.”

As it turns out, Thornburgh’s donation — an average of $6 per year, a few nickels and dimes at a time — helped LCEC boost a program that helped her own family. One of LCEC’s Operation Round Up grants helped RTC Industries in Bellefontaine to provide a transition program for young adults with developmental disabilities.

“My son Eli went through the Healthy Relationships program, through RTC, and it was a huge benefit for us as a family,” she says. “It was really nice because it just helped as a parent to know that they know the things that I sometimes don’t know how to talk to him about.”

Kylee Purtee, day supervisor at RTC Industries, was at a conference where she heard about the Healthy Relationships curriculum and thought it would fit perfectly into the services RTC provides. “We were trying to figure out how we could find the money to pay for it — we have some funding, but it was a good chunk of money,” she says. “We knew the Logan County co-op is very community-focused, they’re always doing things to help others.” So she applied for and was awarded a grant, and within weeks RTC had added the service for families like the Thornburghs.

“It really means a lot to know that when you see that Operation Round Up on your bill, that it’s impacting people in the community,” Jennifer says. “A lot of people say, ‘oh, your dollars help the community.’ But actually seeing it and experiencing it firsthand means a lot.”

Programs like Operation Round Up are a prime example of how co-ops are different from other utilities: “Concern for Community” is written into every co-op’s basic principles, and they take that mission seriously. Ohio’s co-ops distributed more than $1.8 million in grants, donations, and other funding last year alone — and all of that money stayed in each of those local communities.

There are examples all over of both large and small donations that make a huge impact.

After the double-derecho windstorm devastated wide areas of eastern Ohio in June, Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative in Millersburg gathered Operation Round Up funds to make a $25,000 donation to the disaster relief managed by the local United Way — putting all those small donations to work for a major effort so desperately needed.

The Community Connection Board of Butler Rural Electric Cooperative in Oxford made 40 smaller donations at its semiannual meeting in September, granting such needed help as reading materials at several local elementary schools, electrical work at a community food pantry, and mobility projects for children with disabilities.

Members of New London-based Firelands Electric Cooperative donated more than $62,000 through its Operation Round Up program last year alone, including funds for a hospice program to help in keeping patients safe and comfortable, and signage to help travelers navigate the New London-Greenwich Rail Trail.

South Central Power Company, based in Lancaster and covering a wide swath of southern and eastern Ohio, awarded more than $600,000 in grants and scholarships through its Operation Round Up program — including $3,000 to a program to purchase school supplies for teenagers in foster care.

The Community Connection Fund at St. Marys-based Midwest Electric has provided more than $1.2 million since its inception in 1998, including funds this year to repair the parking lot at the VFW post in Coldwater and to help the Auglaize County Historical Society implement QR code technology to better highlight its museums and sites.

Coshocton-based Frontier Power Company’s Community Connection Fund awards grants nearly every month. Recipients this year have included the Bakersville Union Cemetery Association, the Coshocton County Beagle Club, and 4-H Camp Ohio.

“The simplest act of kindness, which is only a few dollars each year, has been so powerful in our community. It is inspiring to watch our members give as individuals, knowing that when added together, their donations offer hope and help to the community,” says Logan County Electric Cooperative’s Ashley Oakley, who administers her co-op’s donation program. “It’s a true, real-life example of the spirit that sets co-ops apart.”

Tags

Operation Round Up

Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Community

member satisfaction

Empowering employees

sbradford — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 19:40:03 +0000

Empowering employees

August 1, 2022

Shelby Bradford Moore

Features

George Carter spent 17 years working in the electric cooperative industry before he became president and CEO of Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative in Paulding in 2005. He says there are a couple of reasons he’s spent more than 30 years of his career at cooperatives: those who surround him, and the important work co-ops do in their communities.

“I have been blessed with a great group of employees who have always gone above and beyond expectations,” he says. “It’s been easy to stay.”

It’s a common sentiment among employees at electric cooperatives, because co-ops provide many of the qualities that define a great job: a close-knit team, community involvement, and growth opportunities, just to name a few.

The 24 electric cooperatives that power rural Ohio are focused on improving quality of life for co-op members and ensuring the long-term prosperity of the communities they serve. That focus, employees say, is what makes cooperatives different from other workplaces. When a team is focused on a common goal, especially one that makes a positive impact on communities they love, it often results in fulfilled employees.

It’s not unheard of, in fact, for someone to spend their entire career with the same co-op.

After he graduated from high school, Anthony Smith had the opportunity to take a summer job at Marysville-based URE (Union Rural Electric Cooperative). That summer job, in turn, influenced his decision to study engineering in college. Smith continued working at URE while he studied electrical engineering technology at Columbus State Community College and computer engineering technology at DeVry. He rose from his entry-level role drawing maps and drafting substation projects to eventually become the co-op’s CEO in 2017.

“Training and education are priorities for electric cooperatives, and I wish more people realized how innovative co-ops actually are when it comes to technology deployment,” Smith says. “On top of that, co-ops offer attractive employment opportunities and are some of the most people-oriented employers you can find.”

Growth opportunities offered by co-ops have also attracted prospective employees who are interested in switching industries. Brittany Root, member services representative at Lancaster-based South Central Power Company, worked in the corporate banking industry before becoming a stay-at-home mom to her five children. When the opportunity to join South Central Power presented itself, Brittany felt encouraged by the support offered by the cooperative.

“I had just gone back to college to finish my bachelor’s degree when I began interviewing with South Central Power, and when I learned about the co-op’s tuition reimbursement program, it felt like a natural fit,” says Brittany. “I was excited to work with a company so closely involved with the community while also having the ability to grow in my own career.”

Brittany successfully completed her undergraduate program this spring and now holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from Ohio Christian University. Since joining the co-op in 2019, she has taken on more of a leadership role that allows her to focus on the training and development of others in her department and offer them the same level of support she was given.

As someone who recruits and hires talent for her co-op, Robyn Tate, director of human resources and community relations at Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative in Millersburg, has an acute awareness of the characteristics of those who surround her. “Cooperative employees are the salt of the earth. You truly do gain another family when you work at a co-op,” Tate says. “Our jobs go far beyond providing power.”

She recalls countless examples during her 17 years with HWEC when members of her team have quietly and humbly supported their neighbors — anonymously paying the bill of a struggling member, cutting wood to heat a sick member’s home, starting a meal train for a member in need. “What makes co-op employees so special,” Tate says, “is who they are when no one is looking.”

For information about working at electric cooperatives, visit www.ohioec.org/careers.

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career development

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Community

Cooperative Principles

Having a blast!

sbradford — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 16:23:21 +0000

Having a blast!

July 1, 2022

Jodi Borger

Co-op People

What started out as a little backyard celebration just outside the village of Fletcher in Miami County nearly 20 years ago has evolved into an event that everyone can enjoy.

Mike and Cheryl Elsner, Pioneer Electric Cooperative members and owners of Progress Farms near Piqua, welcome thousands of their closest friends, neighbors, and relatives to their home on the third Saturday in July every year for fireworks and fellowship. This year’s event will take place on July 16.

Even their “humble” beginning wasn’t all that insignificant; the event drew between 100 and 150 agricultural business contacts, family, friends, and neighbors. But now, the event has grown to several thousand in attendance — and that doesn’t even include those who watch the show from neighboring private parties or from safe parking spots nearby.

“Ultimately, we do this to make people happy, especially those in our community,” Mike says. “You don’t do this for the money — you do this because you want to make those people happy. That, to me, is the challenge.”

The job of making attendees happy goes beyond just the fireworks show. In addition, Cheryl helps to decorate and prepare yard games and activities and supplies guests with red, white, and blue glow-necklaces, balloons, popcorn, cotton candy, and more.

“The actual fireworks show lasts anywhere from 18 to 25 minutes,” Mike says. “We do have a prelude of events leading up to the start of the fireworks show, which includes videos and a thank-you tribute to our armed forces and service personnel.”

Before the pandemic, attendees were invited for a backyard barbeque; the Elsners grilled more than 400 pounds of meat for more than 800 guests, and every family attending was encouraged to bring a carry-in side item to share.

This year, Fletcher Fire and Rescue is selling tickets for individually boxed meals for those attending the Elsner event. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased ahead of the event, and all proceeds from the meals directly benefit the fire department. Families wishing to pack their own meals are also welcome to do so.

Although the Elsners are first and foremost farmers, for the past 14 years, Mike has also worked for Ohio-based fireworks companies. For the Elsners, Mike’s side gig allows them to continue to put on their “little” backyard firework event that started 20 years ago.

Mike currently works for American Fireworks, a family-owned and operated fireworks company in Hudson, Ohio. When Mike started with American Fireworks in 2017, he helped with eight shows in his first year. Last year, he assisted with 60 shows throughout Miami and Montgomery counties.

“I just can’t say enough about that company,” he says. “American Fireworks has been a huge supporter of me and this event.”

To put on a show like the Elsners do requires licensed and certified professionals, as well as a number of volunteers. The Elsners work with the state fire marshal, Miami County law enforcement, St. Paris and Fletcher fire departments, and American Fireworks personnel to ensure the show runs smoothly. All these individuals help with planning and preparation for the event. On the evening of the show, there are 10 licensed pyrotechnic shooters, 20 to 25 pyrotechnic assistants, and fire department personnel on-site.

Mike also works with the Fletcher Fire Department to complete necessary safety training for American Fireworks employees, event volunteers, and fire department personnel needing additional recertification hours.

“We have always stressed that our desire and objective is to have a safe, family-oriented function for all attendees to enjoy,” says Mike. “Over the years we have maintained that objective.”

The display has become larger and more technological since its early days as well. There are at least 100 people involved in the setup prior to the evening of the show, and most volunteer their time and talent to make the event possible.

Some of the Elsners’ best memories from the past 20 years involve reactions of children.

“One night there was a little boy whose dad brought him up — he was about 7 years old — and his dad said, ‘This is the man who does the fireworks,’” says Mike. “The boy looked at me and said, ‘You’re the best fireworking man I’ve ever seen.’ And I’ll never forget that line or the smile on the boy’s face for as long as I live.”

The Elsners say the best part of doing the show is the people who help make it a success.

“The people who attend, support, and enjoy the evening and keep it a positive experience increase our drive to repeat it another year,” Mike says. “We appreciate the people who attend and help keep it a safe, fun evening.”

The Elsners are rightfully proud of the annual event and its growth, but know it would not be possible without the overwhelming support of numerous volunteers and their community.

“Our intention,” Mike says, “was and continues to be to come together and enjoy an evening of celebration with those who share our appreciation of our independence and our God-given right to live in the freedom of the United States of America.”

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member satisfaction

small businesses

Community