By Rick Lemonds, president & CEO
At South Central Power Company, as the season of Thanksgiving approaches, we’re thankful for the opportunity to serve you, and equally grateful for members, employees, and business partners who help us put our cooperative values into action — including concern for the community.
Our values encourage us to contribute in ways that truly matter — fostering growth, safety, and well-being for all. Later in this issue, you’ll have a chance to read about our recent contributions to child advocacy centers and protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, our children. These donations are possible because of our partnership with other cooperatives, including cooperative lender CoBank, which provided funding through its Sharing Success grant program, and Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives through its foundation.
We are also grateful that today, 89% of South Central Power members round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar to fund the South Central Power Company Foundation. One-hundred percent of this money goes directly back to the community through grants and scholarships. Since its inception, the foundation has given back more than $5.5 million in awards to support healthcare, first responders, education, and more.
As I reflect further on gratitude for the impact we’ve made, I am thankful for the South Central Power employees who give back through volunteer hours to organizations like the United Way. In September, a group of more than a dozen Lancaster employees spent a day working alongside other volunteers helping a host of nonprofits across Fairfield County. In the past year, our employees collectively dedicated more than 300 hours to helping organizations in all the communities we serve, including Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, and The Lighthouse Domestic Violence Shelter, as well as numerous local schools, food pantries, and more. Employees didn’t just roll up their sleeves to work — the co-op also hosted American Red Cross blood drives, during which employees took time to give the life-saving gift of blood donation.
As we look to the future, our vision remains clear. By investing in our neighbors’ well-being, we’re building a stronger, more resilient Ohio. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, we at South Central Power Company want to express our profound gratitude for the role we get to play in our communities. Thank you for being a member of South Central Power Company, and from everyone here, we wish you a happy and safe holiday. Please know that we are proud to serve you.
From the November 2024 issue of Ohio Cooperative Living.