Powerful Living
Volunteers Selected to Electrify Remote Village in Guatemala
By Anna Politano T
he Oklahoma Association of Electric Coopera- tives (OAEC) has selected a group of volunteer linemen to electrify a remote village in the north- western part of Guatemala this coming October.
The announcement comes after a successful electrifi cation project that took place in the country of Bolivia in the year of 2016, when volunteers from Oklahoma and Missouri’s electric cooperatives brought electricity to two Amazonian villages.
“Bringing electricity to remote areas in developing coun- tries takes electric cooperatives back to their roots,” says OAEC General Manager Chris Meyers. “It reinforces our commitment to improve the quality of life for local com- munities in our home and abroad.” The OAEC International Committee, comprised of trustees from the statewide association, selected a team of 13 volunteers and designated three alternates for the up- coming trip. “We are grateful for the overwhelming response of
Oklahoma co-op linemen who are willing to leave their homes for an extended period of time to empower far-away communities,” says International Committee Chairman Jimmy Taylor. “Access to electricity will bring economic empowerment, better access to health care and enhanced safety for these villagers. It’s a life-changing gift.” The electrifi cation project will be coordinated through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) philanthropic arm, NRECA International Foundation. The project site is located in the department (state) of Alta Verapaz, in northwest Guatemala. The name of the isolated village is Chiis. The project will provide electricity to nearly 45 homes and will consist of 2.8 km of primary line (approximately 1.74 miles) and 2 km of sec- ondary line (1.2 miles). The village of Chiis is isolated and economically vulnerable and mainly produces beans and corn for self-consumption.
Please see graphic to the right for the names of this proj- ect’s volunteers. Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives have established a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, The Oklahoma Energy Trails Foundation, to support this cause. All contributions are tax-deductible. To learn more, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/energytrails 6
WWW.OKL.COOP Team Leader
DAMON LESTER Indian Electric
DAVID SHEETS TCEC
ANDREW POOL Central Electric
JAKE COLLIER Northwestern
CLINT MOBLEY Oklahoma Electric
DANIEL FRANCO Canadian Valley
DARREN FRAZIER Choctaw Electric
HEATH GOSSEN CKenergy Electric
JASON BLALOCK Cookson Hills
RODNEY JOHNSON Cimarron Electric
TYSON POTTER Cotton Electric
TIM JENLINK Alfalfa Electric
JASON CHILDRESS East Central
JEREMY SHAFFER Kiamichi Electric
First Alternate
MATT MONTGOMERY Northeast Oklahoma
Second Alternate
MICK HART
Cimarron Electric Third Alternate
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