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"We're more than electricity - we're service." That's the motto of Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation, a rural electric cooperative utility serving north-central Georgia. What Sawnee EMC does is similar to what the other 1,000 rural electric co-operative utilities across the United States do in their service territories: Focus on community needs.
Like most other rural electric co-ops, "Sawnee works to improve the local quality of life by assisting our communities and keeping electric rates affordable," says Blake House, vice president of member services for Sawnee.
Co-ops have a history of being more than just a source of electric power for homes and businesses. According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, because concern for community is a core principal of the cooperative business model, typical cooperative-sponsored economic development initiatives include community revitalization projects, job creation, improvement of water and sewer systems, and assistance in delivery of health care and educational services. In short, co-ops seek to improve the quality of life for their members and their communities.
Most rural electric co-ops sponsor youth scholarship programs that send high school students to Washington, D.C., to see their federal government at work. These trips often inspire students to pursue future careers in public service.
Capital credits a plus for co-op members
Cooperatives are supported by members, many of whom see a return on their investment through capital credit or patronage capital programs. Under these programs, dollars generated in excess of the utility's operating costs are returned to consumer-members.
"Our newer customers, who often don't know what a co-op is, also don't know what patronage capital is," House says. "But once they find out, they prefer getting their power from co-ops. The cooperative business model is eye opening for those who have never been a member of a cooperative."
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