You’re not alone in the dark Nearly everything we do depends on electricity and we understand how frustrating it is when you are left in the dark. When your power goes out, we are out there in all kinds of weather working to restore your electricity as quickly and efficiently as possible. The next time you lose power, please remember to be patient because your cooperative’s linemen are on their way risking their lives to make yours more comfortable. That’s what we’re here for, and you are our most important priority! This message is brought to you by the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Illinois. Illinois Country Living • January 2015 • 9 More Power to You Co-ops Invest in Future with Youth Programs Shane L. Larson, Chief Executive Officer A t Rock Energy Cooperative, we take great pride in highlighting the value of cooperative membership to young people. After all, they’re our members-and-leaders-in-training. We provide a wide variety of programs that benefit youth, from safety demonstrations for elementary school students to scholarships for graduating high school seniors. We also sponsor the annual Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., which you can read about on page 16a. In June 2014 we were proud to sponsor two students from our area on the trip—Wyatt Reid, a Hononegah High School student, and Julia Kaster, who attends Clinton High School. During Youth Tour, Wyatt was chosen by his peers to represent Illinois on NRECA’s Youth Leadership Council. This is the first time Rock Energy has had the honor of seeing one of our young members on the council, and we are delighted that Wyatt was selected. Our members from the Rockton area might have seen Wyatt riding on our decorated bucket truck in the Christmas Walk parade in December. Wyatt also plans to come to our annual meeting on Monday, March 30. If you are able to attend the meeting, perhaps you’ll have an opportunity to meet a truly outstanding representative of the cooperative. The Youth Leadership Council helps young co-op members develop strong leadership and presentation skills and gain a broader understanding of energy cooperatives. It is a joint effort of energy cooperatives, statewide associations, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Wyatt is among 44 students chosen from 16a • Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News energy co-ops throughout the country. It’s definitely an honor, and we are proud to have him represent us. For those members who weren’t aware, funding for Youth Tour, college scholarships, and other youth programs comes from the Federated Youth Foundation, which receives money from unclaimed capital credits and other contributions. When members move out of our service territory, we make every effort to continue delivering capital credits checks to them for three years. But when we don’t have a forwarding address and can’t locate the former members, we have the statutory option of using the money to fund youth/educational programs. What a wonderful legacy those unclaimed capital credits have provided. Much has been said or seen about the problems with youth throughout this country, but there are many like Wyatt, many young people who are doing the right things. They are not making the news for all the wrong reasons. For that, we are grateful and pleased that we can play a small role in helping educate and develop our future leaders. I want to remind members about adjustments to electric rates that are taking place Jan. 1. The co-op’s board of directors approved these changes at its September meeting to deal with increased energy costs associated with state and federal mandates. Details about the adjustment are available by visiting www.rock.coop and clicking on the link in the lower right corner of the page. If you have any questions about the new rates, please give us a call. We are honored to serve your energy needs and always look forward to hearing your suggestions. Your Touchstone Energy® Cooperative ‘Our Futures are Destined for Greatness’ Wyatt Reid on Youth Tour with the U.S. Capitol in the background. Hononegah Student Represents Co-op on National Youth Leadership Council W hen Wyatt Reid hopped on a bus in Springfield, Ill., with the Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., he had no idea he would be returning to the nation’s capital the next month to represent Rock Energy Cooperative and Illinois on the Youth Leadership Council. “I am honored and overjoyed to continue this journey that began back on a bus to D.C.,” said Wyatt, a senior at Hononegah High School in Rockton. “As I continue my larger journey as a Youth Leadership Council member, I can only hope that the lessons and the fortunes that I gained on the tour will stay with me as I move on into the future.” Rock Energy Cooperative sponsored Wyatt and Julia Kaster, a senior at Clinton High School, on the June 2014 trip to Washington, D.C. The 75 students on the Illinois trip joined more than 1,600 students from across the nation to learn about the important roles electric cooperatives play in their communities. They also gained a personal understanding of American history and their role as citizens by meeting with congressional representatives. Students from Illinois selected Wyatt to represent them on the Youth Leadership Council of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He returned to Washington in July for a leadership workshop focused on electric co-ops. This is the first time Rock Energy has been represented on the council. Council members will play an important role during NRECA’s annual meeting this spring. Not only are they recognized on stage, but they also have a hands-on experience with virtually every facet of the meeting, including the resolutions process and helping members communicate with their legislators. Wyatt met what he hopes will become many lifelong friends on Youth Tour. “It’s a great experience to be with so many like-minded people,” he said. The trip also filled him with a new sense of patriotism. “The memorials we visited tell of those who fought for our freedom, of those who protected America’s bright future, of those who gave us our chance at expanding the American legacy,” Wyatt said in a speech at the annual meeting of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives. “Visiting these memorials allowed us to pay our respects, but it also motivated us. The monuments we visited illustrated America’s past and present glories. The memorials made us aware of the price of freedom and motivated (Continued on 16c ) Rock Energy Cooperative • 16b Rock Energy Cooperative Youth Leadership Council (Continued from page 16b) us to not waste the liberties that we have been given. Together, the monuments and the memorials compel us to be outstanding citizens and to carry the torch that lights the future.” Wyatt also returned home with a new respect for the function of cooperatives in our society. “Before I began this trip, I’ll be honest, I knew little about cooperatives,” Wyatt said. “My dad paid energy bills to our cooperative, and that’s pretty much all I knew. But as I learned more about the non-profit democratic system of cooperatives, I began to see them as simple and practical. Cooperatives are so simple that they can succeed anywhere. And they’re so practical, so efficient, that they can succeed everywhere. This is the true cooperative difference that I kept hearing so much about.” When he graduates from Hononegah High School in June, Wyatt plans to attend the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa where he will study environmental or electrical engineering. Before Youth Tour, Wyatt said he was interested in pursuing a career in engineering or law, but the experience helped him focus on the specific form of engineering to pursue as an undergrad. Wyatt encourages students to submit their Youth Tour applications so they also can experience what many have called a trip of a lifetime. “If connecting the future leaders of the NRECA was the main purpose of the trip, then it succeeded beautifully,” Wyatt said. “But the setting itself, the nation’s capital, defined the trip as well. It made us feel that our futures are destined for greatness.” 16c • Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News How to Apply for 2015 Trip Rock Energy Cooperative will fully sponsor two high school juniors to participate in the 2015 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., which will take place June 13–19. Representing the co-op during the 2014 trip were Julia Kaster of Clinton High School and Wyatt Reid of Hononegah High School. Applicants must be children of Rock Energy members and reside in the co-op’s service territory. The all-expense-paid trip includes transportation, lodging, meals, and admissions to events. Round-trip travel is by motor coach from Springfield, Ill. Travel to Springfield is not included. Current high school juniors who would like to be considered for Youth Tour can get an application form at either our Janesville or South Beloit offices or online at www.rock.coop. Applications must be submitted to the co-op by Feb. 20. If you have questions, please call Barbara Uebelacker, communications specialist, at (866) 752-4550. You can also Julia Kaster and Wyatt Reid on Youth Tour. email her at [email protected]. Rock Energy Participates in Rockton Christmas Parade Rock Energy Cooperative employees and their families participated in Rockton’s Lighted Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 6. Crowds lined the parade route, which started at Hononegah High School and ended downtown. Get Connected Last Chance… Check out these great deals offered with your Co-op Connections Card. Dodd Roofing, 1011 Third Ave. E., Brodhead – (608) 897-4547 – www.doddroofing.net Roofing, siding, and windows. All roof pitches, residential, commercial, barns. Shingles, steel shingles, rubber, steel, tear-offs, new roofs. Licensed and insured. It is our goal to ensure the complete satisfaction of every customer, offering knowledgeable and friendly service at competitive rates. Free Ridge Vent on Complete Reroof OR Buy 10 Windows, Get 1 Free Dave’s Ace Hardware, 430 S. John Paul Rd., Milton, (608) 868-2843, and 755 Brown School Road, Evansville, (608) 882-4646 – www.davesace.com Retail hardware and rental store. Your Mosquito Magnet distributor. Extensive list of rental equipment. Professional repair on screens, windows, and acrylics. Our commitment to you: Your Satisfaction Guaranteed, Period! $5 Off Any Purchase of $50 or More Jan. 12 is the deadline to apply for Rock Energy Cooperative scholarships for 2015. Go to www.rock.coop for details or call (866) 752-4550. They’re out of sight, but don’t forget about your air ducts. Taking care of them can save money and energy. Check ducts for air leaks. Take care of minor sealing jobs with heat-approved tape, especially in attics and in vented crawl spaces. Call the pros for major ductwork repairs. Healthy Savings Discounts The same program that offers discounts at local merchants and has saved Rock Energy members $105,000 on prescriptions also provides significant savings on dental, vision, hearing, lab and imaging services, and chiropractic work. To locate providers that participate in the Healthy Savings program, call (800) 800-7616 or go to www.rock.coop, click on the Co-op Connections Card, and look under the Healthy Savings tab. Be sure to have your Co-op Connections Card handy. Add Up Your Savings! Tell us how much you have saved by using your Co-op Connections Card. If you have a story you’d like to share, e-mail Barbara Uebelacker at [email protected] or call her at (866) 752-4550. Source: U.S. Department of Energy Shane Larson, CEO Barbara Uebelacker, Editor P.O. Box 1758 2815 Kennedy Rd. Janesville, WI 53547 P.O. Box 126 15229 Willowbrook Rd. South Beloit, IL 61080 (608) 752-4550 • (866) 752-4550 Rock Energy Cooperative • 16d