Grant program celebrates local volunteers, nonprofits

Cooperative Energy is recognizing members who have made a positive impact in their communities.

Cooperative Energy, the generation and transmission cooperative for 11 local systems in Mississippi, has started a new annual community grant program in 2025 for members of their cooperatives who have made a positive impact in their communities. 

The Powering Possibilities Community Service Grant celebrates volunteers who embody the cooperative principle of Concern for community. These men and women dedicate their time and talents to making a positive difference in the lives of others. Through this
program, Cooperative Energy and its 11 Member electric cooperatives honor outstanding community volunteers by awarding donations to qualifying nonprofit organizations selected in each cooperative’s territory.

As part of this recognition, Cooperative Energy made a $1,000 charitable donation in the winning member’s name to their choice of nonprofit organization serving communities within the cooperative’s service area.

This year, eight grants were issued to nonprofit groups that exemplify premiere community volunteer work.

Here are the winners.

• Julie Berry – Coast Electric – CASA of South Mississippi 
  For over 11 years, Julie Berry has been a steadfast voice for the most vulnerable children in Hancock County. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), she has tirelessly dedicated herself to ensuring that every child she serves is heard, supported, and given the chance to thrive. Julie has advocated for 30 children during some of the most challenging times of their lives, and she has remained committed to each of them until they achieved permanency.
• Gwen Keys Hitt – Southern Pine Electric – Boys & Girls Club of Covington County 
  Gwen Keys Hitt was a founding board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Covington County, helping to provide local children with a safe and nurturing place to grow. She has served as a former board member of the Covington County Chamber of Commerce, lending her wisdom and vision to strengthen local business and civic life. She is also an active member of the Friends of the Library group, supporting projects that enhance access to knowledge and resources for the community.
• Jennifer Prince – Dixie Electric – Mission at the Cross
  Jennifer Prince sparks positive change in the lives of individuals in Jones County where she, her husband, and family live. Through her work with Mission at the Cross in Laurel, men in alcohol and/or drug addiction are provided rehabilitation, residential housing, skills training, and an opportunity to turn their lives around and be a positive influence in their families and communities. Prince also works to provide the homeless with options for assistance and especially with women and children who have become homeless and have nowhere to turn.
• Linda Sue Stuart – Southwest Electric – Mercy House Adult and Teen Challenge Ministries
  Linda Sue Stuart established a non-profit group called Port Gibson Hands of Hope in 2012. Their first focus was to collect and deliver donated items to Welch, West Virginia. She collected clothes, kitchen goods, furniture and anything you can think of for a thrift store to sell to help the poor people there.
  In the past few years, Stuart has joined forces with Mercy House Adult and Teen Challenge Ministries. The donated clothing and household goods now make a short trip to their thrift stores in the greater Jackson area.
• Johanna White – Magnolia Electric – Southwest Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center
  Johanna White plays an essential role with the Southwest Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center, a safe and welcoming place for children facing difficult times. She gives her time generously as an advocate in helping organize the local silent auction, the Bingo and Bubbly event, and most recently serving as a chairman of the annual fundraiser.
• Robert Williams – Twin County Electric – Born2Win
  Robert Williams saw the challenges of young people giving up on themselves before they even had a chance to get started, families struggling to find resources, and potential left untapped. Out of his experiences and his love for people, he created Born 2 Win, an organization dedicated to restoring hope and building pride in the community. Through community events, educational support, health awareness, faith-based guidance, and strong partnerships, he creates opportunities that didn’t exist before.
• John Bailey – Pearl River Valley Electric – Lighthouse Rescue Mission
  John Bailey volunteers through numerous agencies giving his time to anyone and everyone he can. He is very involved with his church disaster response team, on the chainsaw team and on the feeding team. He goes in with the first groups doing clean-up, and he will go back weeks later to help feed the affected people. He is currently working on a project for Lighthouse Rescue Missions in Hattiesburg. Recently he donated his time to Cali’s Smile out of Florence that helps kids with disabilities and their families.
• Yazoo Valley Electric – Fran Twiner – Manna House Ministries
  Fran Twiner operates a local thrift store that sells donated clothing and household items. Every item sold directly supports the Manna House, a vital nonprofit organization that provides meals to those facing hunger in the area. Twiner not only manages the store, but also actively collects donations, ensuring that the store remains a sustainable source of funding for this essential cause.