current lines
September 2014
A monthly publication for Tri-County EMC members
In this issue:
Operation
Roundup
reaches
$1 million,
page 1
No Sweat,
History Book,
Annual Meeting,
page 2
Scholarship,
Couples
Conference,
Save $400,
page 3
Truck Sale,
Recipe Box,
page 4
Celebrating $1,000,000 in Contributions
T
ri-County EMC and its members are celebrating more than
$1,000,000 in contributions to Operation Roundup, a program
started in 2001 to fund worthy projects within the Tri-County service
area. A special event marking the occassion will be held on Thursday,
October 16 at 12:00 PM at the Tri-County EMC office in Gray.
Operation Roundup allows members to round their bill up to the
next dollar with that small amount of change going to fund worthy
service projects in the Tri-County service area. Since its inception
in 2001, Operation Roundup has helped to pay medical expenses,
construct wheelchair ramps, provide food for the hungry, support
local education and more.
“I’ve served on the Tri-County EMC Foundation Board since
2001,” said Rev. Ron McClung, Chairman of the Tri-County EMC
Foundation Board which administers Operation Roundup Funds. “It’s
been amazing to see the impact Tri-County members have made
over the last 13 years. Whether it’s helping house fire victims get
a roof over their head or getting food to a food bank, Operation
Roundup has made a noticeable difference in the Tri-County EMC
service area.”
With an average monthly contribution of 50 cents, the annual total
contribution averages just six dollars. The cumulative impact of these
contributions have been dramatic, with nearly 400 awards being
funded to organizations benefitting local needs. Because Tri-County
EMC absorbs operational costs of the program, 100 percent of funds
donated by members are returned to the community.
“Second only to rural electrification, Operation Roundup is the best
thing this cooperative has ever done,” said Greg Mullis, Senior VP of
please
join
us
Energy Services. “This $1,000,000, all from voluntary donations, has
truly changed lives.”
If you or someone you know has benefited from Operation Roundup,
we invite you to join us to celebrate this milestone on October 16.
one
million
dollars
$
c
in dollar bills laid end to end
would be 97 miles long.
in pennies would weigh
575,300 pounds.
in contributions would touch
the lives of a community.
as we celebrate
$1
million
in Operation
Roundup
contributions
October 16
12:00 PM
Tri-County EMC
Headquarters
310 West Clinton St.
Gray, GA 31032
No Sweat Giveaway
Earlier this year, Tri-County EMC members
had the opportunity to have a No Sweat load
management switch installed. All members
that enrolled by June 16, 2014 were given a
chance to win one of five prizes, including an
iPad MiniTM, a Nest thermostat, a GoPro camera, an X-Box Live, or $400 cash. Five winners were chosen and they are shown below.
meet the winners!
No Sweat switches are installed on members’
central AC units in order to help cut electric
demand during peak times. This will decrease
the need to construct new power plants
in the future and keep electric costs down.
Thank you to all members who participate in
No Sweat. Your $25 credit for participating
will be applied to your October bill. To learn
more about the No Sweat load management
program or to enroll, visit tri-countyemc.com/
no-sweat.da.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Robert Parham, Sr. of Putnam County, Melissa McKenzie
of Baldwin County, Haiby Nicholes of Jones County, Genee Cameron of Jones County, and
George and Marie Howell of Baldwin County.
The Power of You
75th Annual Meeting
From manual to automatic meter reading, from 40 miles of
line to 2,724 miles of line, from
building lines by hand to digger
and bucket trucks, from 238
meters to more than 21,463
meters—there
have
been
countless changes in the cooperative over the past 75 years.
Tri-County EMC’s Annual Meeting is
scheduled for Thursday, October 16
at 7:00 PM. You do not have to attend the annual meeting in order to
vote. If you enrolled in online voting
before August 30, you will receive
your logon information to vote via
email on September 18. If you did
not enroll to vote online, you will
receive a ballot in the mail by the
first week of October that can be
returned via mail or to either office by 5:00 PM on October 16. All
members that cast a vote will be entered to win $500. (69877004)
A 75-Year History of Tri-County EMC
It’s hard to imagine that just 75
years ago electricity was not
available in what is now the TriCounty service area. The Power
of You, A 75-Year History of TriCounty EMC, written by Kim
Bonner and Greg Mullis, tells the
story of how your cooperative
helped to bring “the lights” to
rural Georgia and transform way of life in the area.
Cast Your Vote!
If you have questions concerning the Annual Meeting and Election,
feel free to contact us at 1.866.254.8100.
Books will be distributed to every registered member at the 75th
Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 PM. Following the
meeting, books will be available at either office location upon request
while supplies last.
Did you find your
account number?
Find your complete account number in this issue
of Current Lines and win a $50 bill credit. Call
478.986.8126 to claim your bill credit.
Local couple attends
Cooperative Couples
Conference
Operation Roundup
Scholarship
Applications Due
In August, Timothy and Chesli
Poole represented Tri-County
EMC at the Cooperative Couples
Conference in Hiawassee,
Georgia. During the conference
the Poole’s networked with
cooperative leaders from
Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Kentucky. They
learned about the economic and
service benefits of cooperatives
and how coops differ from other
Chesli and Timothy Poole
corporations. They were also
able to exchange ideas with other couples from around the state.
In addition to funding community
grants, the Tri-County EMC
Foundation offers scholarships
to undergraduate and graduate
students—with preference given to
non-traditional students—to help pay
their college costs.
Through Operation Roundup, a total of $4,000 ($1,000
per winner) is awarded annually to students residing in
the homes of Tri-County EMC members. Applicants must
be enrolled in any U.S. accredited college, university or
technical school and have maintained at least a 2.0 average.
“This conference provided an opportunity to exchange concepts and build
alliances with members from different facets of the cooperative community.
We enjoyed our time at the conference and made some new friends as
well.” (46945001)
To learn more about the Cooperative Couples Conference, visit
www.tri-countyemc.com/couples-coop-conf.da.
Applications are available by mail upon request or may
be downloaded at www.tri-countyemc.com /roundupoverview.da. Applications are due October 15.
To learn more about the Operation Roundup scholarship
and other opportunities for students, visit www.tricountyemc.com or contact Kim Bonner at 478.986.8126 or
[email protected].
Save $400 a Year Without Spending a Dime
Lose the Lint - $70
One Degree of Savings - $75
Toss the Extra TV - $64
Ditch the Dinosaur - $154
Clean the lint filter on your dryer at least once a week. A clogged
up filter traps heat and moisture, dramatically increasing the run
time to dry a load of clothes, especially things like heavy towels or
jeans. Because the dryer pulls about 120 CFM of conditioned air
out of the home, extra run time will also make your heating and
cooling bill go up.
Get rid of the extra TV in your basement or spare bedroom. Even
if never turned on, a medium-sized flat screen television and a
DVR satellite receiver will combine to use 30 to 60 watts continuously. If you can’t bear to send them packing, at least put them on
a power strip and keep them turned off until you need them.
Give the Oven a Break - $46
Use the microwave or grill outside instead of using the oven and
stove for cooking meals whenever possible. The heat given off using two surface elements and the oven give off about a third of the
heat needed to keep the average house warm on a cold night. So
imagine what it does to your cooling loads in the summer. Just by
switching to the microwave for two meals a week, you could save
almost $50 per year.
Changing your thermostat setting one degree warmer for the
summer and one degree cooler for the winter will reduce your
annual HVAC bill about 3 to 5%. For a 1,500 ft/2 house with a
fairly efficient heat pump, that’s roughly $75 per year in savings. If
your home is larger or has an older heating and cooling system,
your savings could easily be double.
If you have a refrigerator
stashed in an unconditioned
garage or utility room, particularly if it only has a few bottles
of your favorite beverage
inside, it’s time to say goodbye.
A modern 20 cubic foot refrigerator working comfortably
in your kitchen may only use
$50 a year in electricity. But
that aging, harvest gold model
laboring in your 95 degree garage may be costing you more
than it’s worth.
Truck for Sale
Tri-County EMC has a truck for sale “as is” by sealed bid.
All bids are due to the Gray office by June 15, 2014. For more
information, call 478.986.8126 or 1.866.254.8100, ext. 8126.
2004 Chevy Silverado
Extended Cab:
LWB
4WD (Does not work
but can be repaired by
buyer)
5.4 Liter V8 engine
239,795 miles
Please send sealed bids to:
Tri-County EMC
Attn: Kim Bonner, Truck Bid
P.O. Box 487
Gray, GA 31032
Please include your name and contact
information along with your bid
Recipe Box
Zucchini Bread
Thanks to Helen Curlee of Milledgeville for sharing this delicious recipe! Did
you know that your recipe is worth $20 if chosen? Send your best recipes
to [email protected] or mail to P.O. Box 487, Gray, GA 31032.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups of sugar
2 cups of grated zucchini
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup of water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup of chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients, except the nuts, in
a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Gradually fold the wet
ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add nuts to the mixture. Separate into
two greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until done.
C. Hill Bentley, CEO
Owned by Those We Serve
P.O. Box 487
Gray, GA 31032
478.986.8100
FAX 478.986.4733
www.tri-countyemc.com
Board of Directors
Tom Thompson Jr., Chairman
Brenda P. Green, Vice Chairman
Thomas Noles, Secretary/Treasurer
Dan Greene, Sammy Hall,
Chester Mercer, Marion Nelson,
Cecil Patterson, Mike S. Rainey III
current lines
Monthly Publication for
Tri-County EMC Members
Kim Bonner, Editor
Communications Specialist