March-2024 Cooperative Living-CEC - CEC18

A Whirlwind December to Help
Launch 2024
Full of community giving and friendly competition
T
he eagerness of Community Electric Cooperative's team
members to enhance the vitality and well-being of the
region they serve was on full display during a VERY
busy December closing out 2023.
CEC's employees sold 50/50 raffle tickets to raise funds
for Lee's Friends, a local nonprofit that assists cancer patients
and their families. They participated in the Town of Windsor's
Annual Christmas Parade. They also celebrated and uplifted
one another at CEC's annual holiday luncheon, where eight
team members and two board members were honored with
service awards recognizing their years of labor supporting
CEC and its mission.
50/50 RAFFLE: LEE'S FRIENDS
The six-week fundraising campaign for Lee's Friends
raised more than $3,200. It featured a friendly competition
among six CEC teams to see who could sell the most raffle
tickets. The PINK team sold more than 900 tickets, winning
the competition and earning its members bragging rights for
months to come.
Becky Ruffin, the assistant director at Lee's Friends, spoke
appreciatively of the CEC effort, saying, " This gift is incredible
and will do so much to assist patients struggling with their
finances due to their cancer diagnosis. "
Three raffle winners actually donated their prize to help
those in need. Team BLUE winner Glen Presson, CEC's
Manager of Operations, donated his winnings to Lee's Friends,
while Team PURPLE winner Jonathan Thompson, CEC's
Chief Operations Officer, and Team WHITE winner Dalton
Williams, member-owner, directed their prizes to the accounts
of members with medical issues.
WINDSOR
CHRISTMAS
PARADE:
BEST FLOAT
The surprise
highlight of CEC's
participation in the
Windsor Christmas
parade was the " Best
Float " award won
by the cooperative.
CEC Member
Services Manager,
Lucy Whitley, led the
creative design effort of the float - a station wagon adorned
with strings of Christmas lights being hauled by a flatbed truck.
50/50 Raffle
Whitney Moore, left, Team Pink, and
Debbie Joyner, Team Purple.
" The challenge was figuring out what we were going to do, "
Whitley said. " It only took a few hours to pull it together, and
we had plenty of helping hands! "
CASUAL FOR A CAUSE: GIVING BACK TO MEMBERS
Community Electric's employees also capped 2023 by
raising another $558 for its " Casual for a Cause " program -
a charitable effort that channels donations directly to memberowners'
accounts. Since 2020, by wearing jeans or " dressing
down " in exchange for the donations, employees have raised
nearly $5,000 to assist members.
CEC CARES ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY
The engagement of CEC employees in a host of activities
epitomizes one of the foundational principles of rural electric
cooperatives - Concern for Community.
Cooperatives place a high value on advancing the
sustainable development of their communities by
supporting policies and activities embraced by their
member-owners.
Beyond the camaraderie, employees also use
these engagements as opportunities to continue
educating area residents about the electric
cooperative business model and the role that CEC
plays in the region's economic vitality and overall
quality of life.
" We believe to our core that, as has been the
Winning Team: Pink Warriors
From left: John Wangerin, Jessica Parr, Robert Jones, Rob Darden, Rick Cohen, Whitney
Moore, Helen Brown, and Annette Dickey. Not pictured: W.H. Holland and Will Holt.
16 * Cooperative Living * March 2024
case for decades, Community Electric must help
meet regional energy needs AND be a good,
active and proactive neighbor, " CEC Manager of
Communications Jessica Parr said. " While this
part of the state has grown rapidly over the years,
Community Electric Cooperative
March-2024 Cooperative Living-CEC

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