Otto Werner

As Thanksgiving is celebrated this month, it is a time when families reflect on what they are thankful for. Your cooperative family also has much to be thankful for, and this includes your membership in the electric cooperative. Because of your connection to Kankakee Valley REMC, you help us to make our community a better place.

Over the past year, we have used this section of the magazine to educate and update you on ongoing cooperative initiatives. We share these so that our member-consumers know the progress, successes and challenges faced by their cooperative. During this season of thankfulness, we feel it is equally important to let you know how you have helped impact the community through the efforts of your cooperative.

You have heard us talk a lot about one of our core principles, “Concern for Community.” While our priority is providing our member-consumers with safe, reliable electricity, we believe our role in the community is powerful, too.

We are purposeful in partnering with local groups. We are passionate about working closely with our local schools to provide safety demonstrations, or college scholarships, camp experiences, Page Day at the Indiana Statehouse and field trips to educate students about careers at a cooperative. Your cooperative also sponsors Youth Tour where we take our young people on an all-expense-paid, week-long trip to Washington D.C., during which they see democracy in action, not to mention the many breathtaking monuments and memorials. You empower the co-op through your membership and your participation in supporting these programs for our youth.

Since we are locally owned and governed by a group of individuals who share the same dedication to the community, we hear about community priorities and member-consumer needs. It is through this that we can make informed decisions when looking at long-term investments, such as high-speed broadband, the Co-op Solar program adopted a few years ago, equipment and technology upgrades and even a discussion on electric vehicle programs.

We are thankful for the co-op leaders who make up our board of directors. They invest time in the cooperative through their participation in monthly meetings, training opportunities and keeping informed on industry trends. Their investment serves the co-op’s interests in a way that our member-consumers expect and deserve.

We also deeply appreciate the countless acts of kindness to our employees when they are working in severe weather and dangerous conditions. From the employees in the office answering phones, to our dispatchers and line workers, they are thankful for your patience and consideration when they work to restore power during challenging situations and prolonged periods.

Kankakee Valley REMC is a reflection of our local community and its evolving needs. By working together, we can continue to make our community a better place. We can’t do this alone, though. We’re thankful for your membership. It makes for a true cooperative partnership.

OTTO WERNER
Board President