CEC Shows Concern for Community
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At last month’s Central Electric Cooperative annual meeting (see story beginning on page 4), I had the pleasure of acknowledging our board of directors for its support of one of the Seven Cooperative principles, Concern for Community. I told the members attending that our board does not get enough credit for making our communities stronger by assisting those in need or encouraging those who show an exceptional desire to work hard and excel in life.
While many causes benefit from the board’s wisdom and CEC’s support, I was able to cite but a few:
- The 4H and FFA livestock auctions at the Crook, Jefferson and Deschutes county fairs.
- An educational scholarship for a qualified Central Oregon Community College student who is a CEC member.
- A unique kind of educational assistance awarded to a CEC member through the Soroptimists’ Live Your Dream Scholarship.
- The Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge program, which gives academically at-risk youth a second chance at pulling themselves together and earning a high school diploma.
- A number of food banks, including the St. Vincent De Paul operations in Bend, Redmond and Prineville, along with the Jefferson County and Sisters food banks.
- The Washington, D.C., Youth Tour Program, which sends two CEC member high school students in their junior years to the nation’s capital each year and gives them invaluable exposure to our nation’s history, the workings of our system of government, and the importance of public service. More than 1,700 high school students from across the country make this annual trip.
I hope each of you is pleased with how the board applies this important principle of concern for community. These causes and organizations make life better for all of our communities and I encourage each of you to learn more about them. The support your coop provides to our communities should make all of us proud to be members of Central Electric Cooperative.
Sincerely,
Dave Markham
President and CEO
