Cooperation among Cooperatives is a rather simple idea.
Cooperatives, even though they are privately-owned businesses, choose to work with other cooperatives to make our state and communities stronger, and when one cooperative is in need, the others are there to provide help and support.
The most recent example of this cooperation is in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern. Electric cooperative linemen from across our state and nation, about 1,200 of them, left their families and homes to work in tough conditions for weeks to restore power to the more than 160,000 members across Mississippi, who were affected by Fern.
April is Lineman Appreciation Month. What a great time to say, “thank you,” to these brave individuals who worked long hours in cold, wet conditions to restore power. I am always proud of the linemen from Mississippi who work so hard and are willing to answer the call to help others when natural disasters strike. To all the line workers, engineers, and operations personnel across our state, thank you for your hard work and sacrifice.
Another powerful example of Cooperation among Cooperatives is our Mississippi Cooperative Youth Leaders program. The program teaches high school juniors about the electric cooperative business model, builds their leadership skills, and allows them to experience democracy both at the state level in Jackson and the national level in Washington, D.C. High school juniors from across our state enhanced their leadership skills at our CYL Workshop in February. These 83 delegates represent 22 of our electric cooperatives in the state.
In this month’s issue, you’ll read about a lineman who has been working in electric power since the 1970s and meet the cooperative youth leaders from your local area. These are just two examples of Cooperation among Cooperatives. Today in Mississippi magazine is another great example. Enjoy!
