Autumn is a busy season. October is a particularly eventful month with school, community, and sports activities in full gear. It's also when all cooperatives celebrate National Co-op Month.
When Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) celebrates Co-op Month, we are really celebrating you! Our co-op wouldn't exist without you, our members.
Our core business purpose is to serve as your electricity provider, and our goal is to offer safe, dependable electric service at the lowest possible cost. However, the larger mission of the co-op is to help make our corner of the world a better place. "Concern for community" is one of seven guiding principles that all co-ops share.
Similar to how our wires run through our service territory, our concern for community flows through all of our decisions — because being a co-op means being a responsible partner and good neighbor.
Valley REC works to help our communities thrive through initiatives led by our employees and local board, which is comprised of neighbors who live right here in the same communities. Because we're local, we understand our area's unique needs and strive to help meet them.
We're proud to support local youth through our Brighter Future Scholarship and Youth Tour programs. With your help, we offer Members Helping Members and our Community Service Grant Program to provide assistance to the most vulnerable members of our communities. Our grant program also provides funds to local service organizations and educators. We partner with and support local charitable organizations such as the United Way and Toys for Tots, and we host our own charity golf tournament to benefit local area residents.
The word "cooperative" is related to "cooperation," meaning people working together towards a common goal — mutually benefitting one another and the larger community. That's the essence of the cooperative spirit. Our employees and member-elected board members are invested in the communities in which they live and serve.
Above all, as a co-op we put our members' priorities first. As your trusted energy partner, we know that saving energy and money is important to you. That's why we have numerous programs in place to help, including our Demand Response Program, Co-op Connections®, water heater rebates, and Valley Rural Energy Services.
We want to empower you to manage energy use at home. If you haven't already, we encourage you take a moment to sign up for our SmartHub® app. Through the app, you can conveniently review your energy use and view and pay your bill. And, of course, we're here to help, so give us a call if you have questions about your energy bills.
Valley REC is constantly examining ways to operate more efficiently while continuing to provide the highest level of friendly, safe, and reliable service you expect and deserve. After all, we're your local co-op. We were built by the members we serve.