Cooperative Living January 2016 - 6

Mailbag
TPAC APPRECIATES
MAGAZINE COVERAGE
On behalf of the Truckers' Parade
Against Cancer (TPAC), I want to thank
Cooperative Living for the coverage,
pictures, story and front cover of the
August 2015 issue. Your story opened the
world for us!
In our first 14 years, TPAC gave over
$575,000 for cancer research. In 2014, our
goal was $75,000. We made $83,758! This
made TPAC the highest-fundraising team
in Virginia, the fourth-highest in the
Southeast, and 30th in the nation.
We set our goal for 2015 at $100,000.
Our parade was held on Oct. 10 and as of
mid-October, we already had over
$100,000, and our year doesn't end until
Aug. 31! Your coverage brought in many
trucks and banners from all over Virginia!
We ended up with more than 180 trucks,
and a procession seven miles long.
Our parade this year is scheduled
for Oct. 8, 2016. Come out and help us
find a cure!
- Cookie Milton, Brookneal
STROKE VICTIM NEEDS HELP
I was overwhelmed by all the kindness
shown by Cooperative Living readers in
response to my August classified ad.
I am a stroke victim and need an
exercise bike donated to help me with my
recovery. Unfortunately, my phone broke
and I lost the phone numbers those great
people left me. If you were one of those
who offered to help, please contact me at
804-761-2534.
Thank you all.
- Anne Marie Goodman, Colonial Beach
WhatzIt?
Make your best guess at this photo of a
familiar but unidentified object. Send it in
writing with your name, address and phone
number to WhatzIt?, c/o Cooperat ive Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340; or
guess online at www.co-opliving.com under
" Contests. " Dead line for entries is Jan. 20, 2016.
All correct entries will be put into a drawing and
a winner announced in the March/April 2016
issue. The winner will re ceive a check for $25. 
4 | Cooperative Living | January 2016
FLOOD CLAIMS
HISTORIC BRIDGE
When I read the October
issue, I noticed the WhatzIt
picture and the little
caption about the Bob
White Covered Bridge.
Just a few weeks
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earlier, the Woolwine
area of Patrick County had
been flooded pretty badly. The
bridge depicted in the picture was
completely destroyed. I thought your
readers might be interested.
The bridge was one of two covered
bridges in our county and one of seven
in Virginia. There was another covered
bridge nearby and it survived the flood.
A neighbor to the Bob White bridge
was accustomed to walking across the
bridge and back each morning. However,
on this particular morning, she walked
across the bridge without a problem and
less than two hours later someone called
her to let her know the bridge was totally
gone. She found it hard to realize how
quickly it had happened.
NEW CENTURY BRINGS
NEW CHALLENGES
For a quarter century, my grandfather
served on the board of the Northern
Neck Electric Co-op.
Growing up, it was with pride that I
heard stories from old-timers of how he
helped get electricity to their farms and
home places. This brought them into the
20th century and allowed a better life.
Now that we are in the 21st century, I
believe there is a new energy challenge
- investing in energy independence and
We want to hear from you - comments, opinions,
suggestions. Your letter must be signed and legible. We
reserve the right to edit for grammar, style and
length, with a 250-word maximum for acceptance.
Write: MAILBAG, P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA
23058-2340; or email mailbag@co-opliving.com.
Please include your name and city/town of residence,
with Mailbag as the subject.
lowering our carbon-pollution footprint
through renewable energy.
ODEC (our co-op's wholesale power
provider) has recently made good steps
forward with renewables and we should
thank them for this and still look for
other opportunities. Of course, this is
made easier by the fact that solar
prices have dropped 70 percent in the
past five years and are now close to being
on par with natural gas. One study says
utility purchasers averaged under
2.5¢/kWh for wind energy contracts
negotiated in 2014.
- Sally Hannah, via email
This does not mean that the
transition to clean energy will be free of
challenges (sunk costs and dispatchability
come to mind), but it does mean
that we, as co-op members, are in a
unique position to act.
Indeed, as a proud co-op member,
I believe it is our responsibility to
advocate and encourage our co-ops to
fully pursue the energy of the future. If
you are interested in starting a respectful
conversation about these issues, please
email me at pollard.albert@gmail.com.
Many thanks for all you do to keep
the lights on.
- Albert Pollard, proud member,
Northern Neck Electric Co-op
The October
2015 WhatzIt?
was black
peppercorns,
and reader Katie
Thomas of
Singers Glen
was our $25
winner.
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
Congratulations,
Katie!
www.co-opliving.com
http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2016
