It’s the season of giving. People think of giving as handing over a physical object; something tangible. I quickly learned that a gift isn’t always something you can hold in your hands. My wife is a retired teacher, and I can say the gift that is always giving is a quality education, and not just kindergarten through high school. No matter your age, there is always something new you can learn.

As an electric cooperative, not only do we provide your electricity, but we provide our members, employees and board of directors with endless opportunities to learn. At WIN Energy REMC, we operate on seven cooperative principles, one being Education, Training and Information. We strive to provide educational opportunities to our employees and board members in order to effectively contribute to the development of the cooperative. We inform others about the nature and benefits of being a part of an electric cooperative. You, our members, are able to learn from this magazine, Indiana Connection, our Facebook page, community outreach, our annual meeting and more.

Opportunities to learn look different depending on your role within the cooperative. For example, before our linemen can be fully certified line specialists, they must go through a rigorous four year program to learn all the ins-and-outs of working with live electricity. Our board members go through a number of training sessions to learn to be an effective member of the board. Office employees participate in training courses throughout their career and have to keep up to date with certifications and credentials.

While these trainings, certifications and credentials come with a price, we believe our return on investment is well worth it. Our members, employees, and board are eager to learn more about the cooperative business model and how to better service you, our members.

This holiday season, we are thankful for being able to gift something that can’t fit under a tree; the gift of education.