Home Is Where Our Heart Is
This article is the seventh in the series of the seven cooperative principles.
Directors and employees at Access Energy Cooperative want to see the communities we serve succeed. Why? The answer’s simple: we live here, too.
Local people working for local good. That’s the essence of the Seventh Cooperative Principle, “Concern for Community,” one of seven guidelines that governs electric cooperative operations.
First and foremost, Access Energy Cooperative strengthens our communities by doing what we do best: providing safe, reliable efficient service while maintaining environmental responsibility. As our service area grows, so does our distribution system. So it’s easy to see why strengthening the local economy makes sound business sense. Your board of directors and staff supports policies and projects that are good for the communities we serve because what’s good for our community is good for the coop.
We have strong community roots. Access Energy Cooperative has been in business in your communities for over 70 years—we’re not going anywhere. Our business was founded here by members just like you, and we are not going to pull up stakes to pursue greener
pastures elsewhere.
Benefits our communities reap from our presence aren’t only financial. We open doors for our young people with scholarship programs and the annual Rural Electric Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C. We teach children safety through programs in schools and online. We help members identify ways to save money by performing home and business energy audits.
We also strengthen our communities by supporting local events, and assisting in ways no one else can, like helping local sporting facilities put up lights, or helping a local church put a steeple on the top of their church.
Your co-op was formed locally, and it’s still managed by your friends and neighbors. Our employees go out of their way to serve by coaching youth sports teams, volunteering on school committees, participating in church activities, and even serving in various elected offices. Many are co-op members like you, and like you they want to make their communities stronger.
When it comes to Access Energy Cooperative, community comes first. That’s the cooperative difference.