Georgia Magazine - May 2019 - 15

Byron McCombs, left, and Jim Wright,
right, were recognized on March 4 as this
year's recipients of the Distinguished
Cooperator Awards for outstanding
achievement in the cooperative industry.
McCombs is a staff assistant at Blue
Ridge Mountain Electric Membership
Corp. (EMC) in Young Harris, and Wright
served as the vice president of training,
education and safety at Georgia EMC in
Tucker before retiring in 2016. Here they
pause for a photo with Randy Crenshaw,
president and CEO of Irwin EMC in Ocilla
and Middle Georgia EMC in Vienna and
chairman of the board for the Georgia
Cooperative Council, which presents the
annual awards.

Talking shop: Millen-based
Planters EMC attended Screven
County High School's career, technical and agricultural education
(CTAE) fair in Sylvania in November. The EMC shared information
with juniors and seniors about
the cooperative industry and the
variety of jobs at electric cooperatives while showing students
some of the tools of the trade.

Technical training: The Satilla Rural EMC
Foundation in Alma recently donated $5,000
to Wiregrass Georgia Technical College for its
campus in Douglas and $10,000 to Coastal
Pines Technical College for campuses in Waycross and Jesup. The donations will support
scholarships, equipment and capital projects
at the schools. The funds were generated by
the cooperative's Smart Change program
(called Operation Round Up at some cooperatives), in which members opt to round
up their monthly bills and the remainder is
put into a fund for charitable causes in the
community.
School lunches: Homerville-based Slash Pine
EMC in January donated $5,335.81 to the
Ware County Board of Education to help fund
nutritional programs.
Major milestone: With the Reynolds-based
Flint Energies Foundation's grants awarded in
March, the foundation's total giving topped
the $5 million mark. The funds came from
Operation Round Up and have helped many
nonprofit organizations in the cooperative's
service area.

On the lookout for linemen: Tuckerbased Georgia EMC has produced a video
that promotes careers as electric linemen for
cooperatives. The video features testimonials
from linemen who work for Douglasvillebased GreyStone Power Corp., Clarkesvillebased Habersham EMC and Thomaston-based
Upson EMC as well as a Georgia EMC safety
instructor. It incorporates video footage from
Carroll EMC (based in Carrollton), Jackson
EMC (Jefferson), Southern Rivers Energy
(Barnesville) and Georgia Transmission
Corp. (Tucker). To see the video, go to
bit.ly/gemclinemenvideo.
Future linemen: Carroll EMC in Carrollton
has awarded scholarships to Ashton Davis,
James Vise and D.J. McBrayer to pursue lineman training. The scholarships cover tuition,
textbooks and other related fees. Davis and
Vise will attend the Southeast Lineman
Training Center in Trenton, and McBrayer will
attend North Georgia Technical College in
Clarkesville.
Tops in the field: Canoochee EMC in
Reidsville was named the 2019 Service
Business of the Year by the Greater Tattnall
Chamber of Commerce on March 14.
Providing a jolt: Coweta-Fayette EMC in
Palmetto provided $4,100 in Operation Round
Up funds to the Newnan Fire Department to
purchase three automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). The devices will help the department save lives when people are in cardiac
arrest.

WHITNEY DIXON

LUKE THORNTON

2019
Distinguished
Cooperator
Awards

Support for camp: Okefenoke Rural Electric
Membership Corp. (EMC) in Nahunta donated
$2,000 to support the Georgia Lions Camp
for the Blind in Waycross. The funds will go
toward food, supplies and transportation for
about 150 visually impaired campers from
throughout the state who enjoy traditional
summer-camp activities, such as swimming,
canoeing, archery, horseback riding and arts
and crafts. All of the cooperative's offices also
serve as collection points for Lions International's eyeglasses-recycling program.

LANCE DREESEN / GIANT LEAP MEDIA
PRODUCTIONS

SHORTTakes

Support for children: The Wrens-based
Jefferson Energy Cooperative Foundation
donated $10,000 to The Sunshine House
Regional Children's Advocacy Center in
March. The organization supports children
during child-abuse investigations and offers
programs to prevent child abuse.

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Georgia Magazine - May 2019

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