A Season of Gratitude & Gicing – December 2021 CCL CEO Article
By Jim Herron, MVEA CEO
On behalf of the Mountain View Electric Association family, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. With the holiday season upon us and the new year just around the corner, I can’t help but reflect on the gratitude I feel for our co-op community as we continue to navigate an ever-changing world due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Perhaps one of the most important things I am grateful for is the opportunity to gather with friends, family and members of our co-op community again. While we were not able to gather for our 80th Annual Meeting of Members in June, we were able to host smaller member events in September and October. These events are important as there is a strong sense of community that makes us stronger as a co-op when we gather, converse, and grow together.
I am grateful for technology and the way it allowed MVEA to quickly adapt to changing staffing mandates, while still providing safe and reliable electricity to our members at a time when more people were at home relying on the service that we provide. If there was one thing we all learned together in 2020, it was the vital role that access to reliable and fast internet service plays in our interconnected world. To that end, we have much to celebrate with the June announcement of MVEA’s partnership with Conexon Connect to bring access to highspeed fiber broadband internet to 100% of our membership over the next five to six years.
I am also grateful to be part of a co-op community that has a long history of coming together and being resilient through uncertain times. With that said, I want to highlight two MVEA programs we hope members will participate in to support our local businesses as well as our neighbors in need of a helping hand this holiday season.
Power a Small Business Comeback
Locally-owned businesses are the heart of any community. In November 2020, we started promoting the Co-op Connections program to support local businesses through the “Small Business Comeback” campaign. While businesses have been able to reopen to full capacity, we also know that they are still struggling through staffing and supply challenges.
Your participation in this free program and your support of local businesses can make a meaningful impact this holiday season. Co-op Connections provides easy access to discounts from hundreds of locally-owned and national businesses. To get started, please visit our Co-op Connections page.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
The Operation Round Up® program assists charitable organizations, communities with special needs and individuals who have suffered from loss, personal disaster, or medical emergencies. For less than $12 per year, you can round up your monthly electric bill to the nearest dollar, turning your coins into CHANGE to help support your community and your neighbors.
If you want to donate more, you have that option as well. If you are in need of a helping hand, please apply for funds. To learn more, apply for funds, or make a tax-deductible donation by opting into the program, please visit our Operation Round Up page.
As an electric co-op, we are proof that small groups of people can make a significant impact on their community for generations to follow. It is a legacy we are proud of, and one that we look forward to continuing.
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