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Golf enthusiasts have a great opportunity to spend a day on an 18-hole championship course while helping to raise funds to help organizations and individuals throughout southwest Oklahoma.
The fifth annual Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation (CECF) Summer Classic will be June 24 at The Territory Golf Course in Duncan. The tournament is held to raise awareness of CECF and to generate funds for Operation Round Up (ORU).
ORU is primarily funded by Cotton Electric Cooperative members, who “round up” their monthly bill to the nearest dollar. The funds are administered by CECF, which meets quarterly to consider grant applications. Since its inception in 2004, CECF has awarded more than $650,000 to volunteer fire departments, youth, senior citizen and public safety organizations, schools, communities and individuals throughout the Cotton Electric service area.
Registration for the 4-person scramble will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. The registration fee of $600 per team will include range balls, cart, and a meal following the round.
Individual, team and door prizes will be awarded.
To enter, players’ names and handicap or average scores can be faxed to 580-875-3101. Deadline for entries and fee payment is June 10.
Hole sponsorship are still available, too. For information, call Bryce Hooper at 580-875-3351 or e-mail bhooper@cottonelectric.com.
Since the program began in 1964, Cotton Electric Cooperative has sent 144 high school juniors on the Rural Electric Youth Tour, a weeklong expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The 2013 trip will be the 50th anniversary of the event. Time for a reunion!
Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives coordinates the trip each year and is planning a 50th anniversary bash on July 20 in Oklahoma City. Festivities will take place at Reed Convention Center on I-40 and Sooner Road in Midwest City.
Youth Tour alumni will get a special reunion T-shirt. The day’s activities will include a photo booth, video presentation, guest speakers and more.
Longtime Youth Tour coordinator Jennifer Dempsey, aka Spike Momma, said, “I would love, love, love to get 500-plus people at this reunion. I hope everyone comes to help celebrate this awesome anniversary.”
Registration is open to anyone who has ever gone on Youth Tour, whether as a student, chaperone or as a co-op sponsor. Each participant and one guest can attend the reunion free of charge. There is a $10 fee for additional guests, to help cover the cost of food.
Registration form is at OAEC.com. Click on Registration under the Member Services and Training tab and click on the link labeled “Youth Tour Alumni Reunion …”
Properly installed shades can be one of the most effective ways to improve windows’ energy efficiency. Lower them during summer; in winter, raise during the day and lower at night on south-facing windows. Dual shades, with reflective white coating on one side and a heat-absorbing dark color on the other, can be reversed with the seasons and save even more energy. Learn more at EnergySavers.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
Warren Langford, chief executive officer of Cotton Electric Cooperative, has been elected to a second term on the Touchstone Energy Cooperative board of directors. Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), the generation and transmission cooperative owned by Cotton Electric and 21 other Oklahoma and New Mexico cooperatives, nominated Langford for this position.
The Touchstone Energy brand represents a nationwide alliance made of more than 740 local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives in 46 states. Touchstone Energy cooperatives collectively deliver power and energy solutions to more than 40 million members every day.
Cotton Electric, headquartered in Walters, has been active in effectively promoting the Touchstone Energy brand since its inception in 1999. Under Langford’s leadership, Cotton Electric’s employees and board of trustees use the brand’s programs to improve member communication and educate members about energy efficiency and emphasize the importance of business integrity and accountability.
“Price, power quality, the environment, and business ethics are no longer local issues,” said Langford. “Recent events have made it imperative that rural electric cooperatives expand upon the relationship between cooperatives and their members. Touchstone Energy is an avenue by which rural America has a united voice concerning the problems and solutions that impact our daily lives.”
He believes that through coordinated advertising, marketing and communication activities, Touchstone Energy has brought a level of positive recognition that rural electric cooperatives have never seen. And, he recognizes the need for the continuance of these programs in the future.
Langford brings over 38 years of industry experience to this board of directors, which consists of 14 cooperative professionals from across the nation. Langford retains his seat on this board for a second consecutive three-year term.
Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters – set enough of them aside on a regular basis, and the coins add up to dollars. That’s how Operation Round Up works.
Most Cotton Electric members participate in ORU, in which power bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar. The amount rounded up can be as little as 1 cent and is never more than 99 cents. On average, each participating member contributes about $6 each year.
The funds are pooled and administered by the Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation, a board of directors that meets quarterly to consider grant applications. The board consists of Warren Langford, the co-op’s CEO; Charles Spencer, president of the co-op’s board of trustees; and three representatives from the Cotton Electric service area: Carly Douglass, CECF president; Keith Hooker, CECF vice president; and Carter Waid, CECF secretary and treasurer.
The board met Dec. 6 to review 22 grant applications. Grants totaling $17,800 will be distributed to 12 of the applicants.
Four volunteer fire departments in the Cotton Electric service area were awarded grants of $2,300 each. Each has a different project it will use the grant for:
• Devol VFD will purchase wildland gear;
• Hulen VFD will complete the interior of an addition to its building;
• Meers VFD will begin a building addition project; and
• Randlett VFD will purchase hoses and nozzles for fire trucks.
Other fourth-quarter CECF grant recipients include:
• Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, which will use a $500 CECF grant for educational outreach.
• Friends of Elgin Community Library, which will use a $1,000 CECF grant to purchase tables.
• Indiahoma Elementary School, which will purchase incentives for the Accelerated Reader program with a $600 CECF grant.
• Power Shop, Inc., which will purchase an automated external defibrillator and accessories with a $1,500 CECF grant.
• Sterling Elementary School, which will use a $1,000 CECF grant to purchase reading instructional materials.
• Temple Area Food Pantry, which will purchase food for needy families with a $1,000 CECF grant.
• Velma Community Outreach Center, which will use a $2,000 CECF grant to purchase hams and children’s gifts.
• Cotton County Sheriff’s Department, which will use a $1,000 CECF grant for vehicle repair and maintenance.
CECF has awarded grants totaling $637,000 since the foundation was established in 2004.
Applications for first-quarter grants are due by March 1, 2013. Downloadable applications are available at CottonElectric.com.
Capital credit checks amounting to $500,000 were issued recently by Cotton Electric Cooperative. A refund of capital credits demonstrates how a not-for-profit electric cooperative works. Annually, money over and above the cost of operations and other necessary expenses and reserves is declared margins. When the board of trustees determines that a portion of those margins can be refunded, members who contributed to those margins receive a share.
A share of the capital credits was allocated among active and inactive members and each check was mailed to the latest known address for the member. Checks addressed to members listed here were returned to the cooperative because of incorrect or insufficient addresses.
Cotton Electric Cooperative needs help finding the people listed here. If you see a name on this list that you recognize and if you have information about a current address, please call 580-875-3351 or e-mail info@cottonelectric.com and let the co-op know.
TO CLAIM A CAPITAL CREDIT CHECK, WE REQUIRE A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO VERIFY THE MEMBER'S IDENTITY.
Remember the days when people kept in touch with far-flung family and friends by writing letters? I’m talking about tangible, handwritten notes on stationery, sent via the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp.
Today, thanks to laptops, smartphones and tablet devices, email, texting, and social media have changed the way we talk to each other. And, while these advances can make us feel like we’re “wired to the world” at all times, they can help us save energy, too.
As a member of a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, the branding program of the nation’s electric cooperatives, we are proud to offer two mobile apps: Together We Save.com — Save Energy, Save Money, and one for our popular Co-op Connections® Card.
The TogetherWeSave.com — Save Energy, Save Money app, the newest addition to our Together We Save energy efficiency campaign portfolio, lets you see how much money you could pocket each month by switching from traditional incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps or light-emitting diodes. In addition, you can use the app to evaluate energy guzzlers in your home — for example, what does it cost to run a dishwasher for an hour?
Kilowatt-hour rates specific to Cotton Electric Cooperative needed for the calculations are available in the app by entering your ZIP code and selecting our name.
In addition, the app delivers handy pop-up “Tip of the Day” reminders on ways to make your home more energy efficient. The free app is available for Apple iPhones and iPads at the iTunes store and for Android smartphones at Play.Google.com. Search for: Together We Save.
Your Co-op Connections Card connects you to savings on prescriptions, restaurants, hotels, groceries and lots of other services from national and local retailers. The free Co-op Connections Card app uses GPS technology to help you quickly locate stores and businesses offering discounts and — better yet — share your favorite deals! Android and Apple iPhone versions of the app are available at www.Connections.Coop.
At Cotton Electric Cooperative, we take pride in our promise of providing you with safe, reliable and affordable electric service. But our promise goes beyond that. We are also dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve. These two money-saving apps are one more way we’re looking out for you! Find more ways to save at CottonElectric.com.
Oppressive heat and parched fairways didn’t deter 99 golfers from turning out for the Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation Summer Classic on July 30 at The Territory in Duncan.
The fourth year for the event drew 25 teams that were divided into two flights.
The team of Jacob Robertson, left, Chris Graham, Jody Atchley and John Lawrence, representing Liberty National Bank of Lawton, had the lowest score, 55, in the Championship Flight of the third annual Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation Summer Classic.
The team of Colton Meek, Todd Holland, Dustin Keplinger and Blake Watson, representing Meeks Auto Sales, was second in the flight with a score of 56.
A stroke behind, the team of Jason Red Elk, Adam Red Elk, Jimmie Dedmon and Bryce Hooper, had a back nine score of 30, breaking a tie and putting the Comanche Star Casino team at third in the Championship Flight.
In the “A” Flight, first place went to the team of Sam Gonzales, Cody Pennington, Zack Hoodenpyle and Josh Belcher for their low score of 64.
Second place was awarded to the City of Walters team of Doyle Cain, Popcorn Gwoompi, Frank Kinney and Jan McKown. Third place went to Cotton County Drug’s team of Scott Crew, Jackey Glenn, Jeff Hart and Stacy Abbe.
Dedmon was closest to the pin on the eighth hole, and Ashley Spann of D&R Right of Way made the ladies’ longest drive on the 10th hole. Hooper made the men’s longest drive and the straightest drive on Number 12.
“We would like to express our appreciation to the players who braved the hot, sunny weather and to the hole sponsors and contributors who helped make the tournament a success,” said Jennifer Meason, vice president of marketing and subsidiary services for Cotton Electric.
The tournament raised more than $9,800 that will be distributed to organizations and individuals in need.
The team of Jacob Robertson, left, Chris Graham, Jody Atchley and John Lawrence had the lowest score, 55, in the Championship Flight of the fourth annual Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation Summer Classic.
The team of Zack Hoodenpyle, left, Cody Pennington, Sam Gonzales and Josh Belcher had the low score of 64 in the “A” Flight of the fourth annual Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation Summer Classic.
Forgot your Co-op Connections card? There’s an app for that. Co-op members on the go can keep up with all the local and national discounts offered by downloading the Co-op Connections Card phone app at connections.coop.
This virtual Co-op Connections Card shows the front and back images necessary to take advantage of prescription and other Healthy Savings discounts.
The app also uses a phone’s GPS feature to find businesses that accept the card, if any are nearby.
Users can identify favorite discount deals and save them in a My Deals feature within the app, which is available for Blackberry and Droid phones as well as iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.
You can also print a copy of the card at http://www.nbdrugcard.com/GetCard.aspx
Spring has sprung and in Oklahoma that means stormy weather featuring high winds, lightning and dreaded tornadoes. Cotton Electric works hard to keep the power on for its members but severe weather can sometimes put us in the dark.
Storms come up quickly. Prepare now for a weather emergency by gathering items you might need. You’ll be safer and less inconvenienced if you have the following supplies on hand:
• Flashlight and radio with fresh batteries; extra batteries
• Windup clock
• First Aid kit
• Sturdy shoes for every member of the family
• Identification and extra cash
• Spare keys for your vehicles.
• Bottled water, canned goods and manual can opener
After a storm passes, remember these tips:
• If power lines and poles are down in your yard or in the street, always treat them as if they are energized and dangerous. Never touch them and stay away. Make sure to call Cotton Electric Co-op at 580-875-3351 (Walters local calling area) or 1-800-522-3520 to report it immediately.
• Debris from the storm can hide power lines that have fallen. Fallen trees that contain energized power lines can electrocute any item it comes in contact with, such as a metal fence, a pond or standing water. Even the ground can be energized near fallen power lines.
• If your electricity is out, make sure to check with neighbors to see if they have power. If they have power, you may have blown a fuse or tripped a breaker. Never replace a fuse or reset a circuit breaker with wet hands or while standing on a wet (or damp) surface.
• If you’re without electricity and want to use a portable generator, make sure to use it in a well-ventilated area.
• Avoid using candles if possible. If you must, never leave a burning candle unattended.
• If power remains out following a storm and you have to cook with Sterno or charcoal, do so outside to avoid the build-up of deadly carbon monoxide fumes.
• Replenish your supplies of batteries, bottled water, non-perishable food items and firewood for future weather-related outages.
