I saw this statement somewhere in all of my daily emails and think it reflects the special bond and obligation that ties South Plains Electric Cooperative to the communities we serve. With Valentine’s Day approaching, we can’t think of a better time to express how much we love our communities and serving you, the members of the Co-op.
We know when we helped to bring electricity to rural Texas many years ago, the quality of life improved for all. Through the years, other issues needed to be tackled, and we have been at the forefront of helping to address some of those issues. We want to help meet the long-term needs of our communities to ensure they continue to thrive—because just like you, we live here, too.
While our top priority is to provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to you, equally important is our mission to enrich the lives of the consumer-members we serve. This focus to benefit the larger community is central to the way we operate as a cooperative. South Plains Electric knows that electricity is a critical need for modern-day life, but it takes more than poles and power lines to make a community.
Over time, our Co-op has evolved to meet the changing needs of our communities, thereby improving the quality of life for everyone. And that can mean many different things. It can mean youth programs, such as educational scholarships or the Government-In-Action Youth Tour, where we take our communities’ brightest young people to Washington, D.C., for a week-long immersion to experience democracy in action. The 2020 Youth Tour recipients are highlighted on page 18. It means organizing food and clothing drives and contributing more than one million dollars to Operation Round Up, a program that offers educational scholarships, teacher mini-grants, and helps local families and communities. It means partnering with organizations like Ronald McDonald Charities, The Inside Out Foundation, CASA, the American Cancer Society, Texas Boys Ranch, and other worthy programs.
Over the last 80 years, our community-focused programs and other giving projects have greatly benefited our local communities—and we couldn’t do any of this without you, our members.
We all benefit from these programs because of you and your neighbors. You empower South Plains Electric Cooperative through your membership and through your participation in and support of these programs.
As a local business, we are proud to power your life and bring good things to our communities. We hope you will continue to guide our efforts by sharing your perspectives as we plan for the future. The energy landscape is undergoing dramatic change fueled by evolving technology and consumer desires for more options. While the larger environment in which we operate is constantly changing, one thing remains the same. By working together, I’m certain that we can continue to do good things for our communities.
