February is often known for being a month dedicated to, and all about, love. So, as we celebrate love this month, we want to share some of the reasons to love your electric cooperative!
#1 – We support our members and communities.
Over the years, you have probably heard or read about Concern for Community, our seventh cooperative principle. This is one of the core principles that sets cooperatives apart from other types of utilities and businesses. At WEC, we have always taken this responsibility to heart because it is who we are: a member-owned organization committed to the communities we serve.
Over the past nine years, we have helped strengthen the food safety net for our communities. We have done this through Cram the Van, our annual food drive. To date, our co-op and members have raised 226,908 pounds or just over 113 tons of food!
While our purpose is to provide safe, reliable and competitively-priced energy to you, the members we serve, we have another important mission — to be a catalyst for good. So many families look to our local pantries to help put food on the table.
We support these food banks and the hard-working and generous individuals who give their time for the benefit of others because we live and work where you do. We want to make it a better place for all. You can count on Wheatland Electric to be there to fulfill our mission: DELIVERING ENERGY FOR LIFE.
In addition to our annual food drive campaign, Wheatland awards higher education scholarships to high school seniors planning to attend an accredited university, community college, or technical school.
Additionally, each year Wheatland sends two high school juniors to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour and two high school juniors to Steamboat Springs to participate in the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp.
In 2022, Wheatland distributed $1,000 grants to 25 community-based organizations through our Sharing Success fund to assist special projects.
Wheatland employees and trustees sponsored gifts for 105 children through St. Francis Ministries Christmas for Kids program, as well as contributed to local schools and numerous non-profit organizations, on top of employees volunteering countless hours.
#2 – We are member-owned.
Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their cooperative members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. Trustees are elected by and are accountable to the membership. This defines exactly what our second cooperative principle is all about: Democratic Member Control.
WEC is run by a democratically elected board of trustees, a board given the privilege to serve because of your vote. Our trustees are members of your community. They are concerned with the same issues you face every day because they face them too.
This year is special as we celebrate 75 years since our inception! As a member of WEC, you have a valuable perspective — and we invite you to share it with us at this year’s annual meeting. Join us on April 26, 2023, for a very special annual meeting.
#3 – We provide safety education.
Safety is our top priority, not just for our employees, but for our members. According to Electrical Safety Foundation International, thousands of people in the U.S. are critically injured or electrocuted as a result of electrical fires and accidents in their own homes. Many of these accidents are preventable.
Electricity is a necessity, and it powers our daily lives. But we know firsthand how dangerous electricity can be because we work with it 365 days a year.
You will find our WEC safety team and lineworkers hosting safety demonstrations in schools, at community events, and with first responders across our service territory.
At these safety demos, we demonstrate exactly what can happen to the human body or objects if they come in contact with energized power lines. We also discuss emergency scenarios, such as what to do in a car accident involving a utility pole and downed power lines.
In fact, in 2022 alone, we reached over 1,500 participants with our live, safety demonstrations — from the very young to older generations, too. We caution students on the dangers of playing around pad-mounted transformers and warn the public about overloading circuits with too many electronic devices.
#4 – We have a strong foundation.
For 75 years, WEC has proudly served our members with safe, reliable and competitively priced electricity.
Our commitment to our core principles remains as steadfast today as it was decades ago. How we deliver services might look a little different today, but we still aim to improve the quality of our members’ lives.
#5 - We are invested in YOU, our members.
We know our members have a valuable perspective. That is why we continually seek your input through community events, social media, our annual meeting, and other local events. We always want to hear from you.
