Empower change: Join Change for the Community in 2024!

Each summer, Gibson Electric sends a group of high school juniors to spend a week exploring Washington, D.C., learning about government and cooperatives and developing their leadership skills.

This opportunity is made possible through a strong partnership with area high schools and educators.

Students selected for the trip are winners in Tennessee’s 2024 Cooperative Creative Writing Competition,
where they write 900-word essays about the importance of electric cooperatives.

Not only do students have the opportunity to win an expense-paid trip to D.C., but they also have the opportunity to win a share of $16,000 in scholarships from Gibson Electric and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. Two Tennessee universities—Union University and Carson Newman University—will award scholarships to winners of the writing contest.

“Our commitment to community is what sets cooperatives apart from other businesses,” said Gibson Electric and Gibson Connect President and CEO Dan Rodamaker. “The Washington Youth Tour is one
way we show students that their co-op is more than their electricity provider. We genuinely care about the prosperity of our communities, and that includes providing special opportunities for these exceptional students and preparing them for future success.”

Gibson Electric’s program coordinator, Sarah Williams, is currently visiting schools, making presentations about the Washington Youth Tour and writing competition.

If we are not in your school yet, we’d like to be! Ask your principal or English teacher to consider participation. Meanwhile, if you know a high school junior who is a talented writer, encourage him or her to participate. That student could be just 900 words from the trip of a lifetime.

Home-schooled students can call their local Gibson EMC member service center and ask to speak with Sarah Williams to receive contest materials.

Ringing in the new year is the perfect time to reflect on the positive impact we can make in our community. At Gibson Electric, we’re thrilled to talk about our Change for the Community program, a powerful initiative designed to harness the collective strength of our member-owners to drive positive change right where we live.

Member-owners who participate in the program agree to round up their utility bill each month to the
next dollar. Money collected then funds community projects.

Change for the Community has been a successful program in our Kentucky counties for more than a decade, and we proudly bring the program to our Tennessee member-owners in the hope that we can replicate Kentucky’s success.

The program is a testament to our commitment to community development and support. We believe that small change can lead to significant impact.

How Change for the Community works

• Opt-in and empower change: Opt-in to the program at gibsoncoops.com/change.

• Round-up your bill: Your monthly utility bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar. Your spare change adds up to make a real difference in funding worthwhile local projects.

• Local impact: Every cent contributed through the program will go directly to supporting local initiatives such as education programs, infrastructure and community organizations.

The program with our Tennessee members is in its beginning stages. Once enough money is collected, a board made up of Gibson Electric members will begin distributing funds to 501(c)3 organizations that have the greatest impact on our membership and are within the Gibson EMC service area in which they were collected.

Join us in the new year

As we welcome 2024, we invite all our member-owners to make a resolution for positive change and opt-in to the Change for the Community program. Your participation matters, and together, we can make an even greater impact in the coming year.

Let’s start the new year on a note of positive change, unity and community strength. Again, you can opt-in to the program on our website. Visit gibsoncoops.com/change.