Why do cooperatives participate in their communities?
Posted by Stacie Nielsen on June 21, 2018
By the late mid-1930s, 9 out of 10 rural homes were still without electric service and investor-owned utilities continued to ignore requests to provide power to those rural areas. In May of 1935, 
President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). A year later the lending program began and requests from farmer-based cooperatives poured in. Because of these requests, REA realized that electric cooperatives could be the entities to make rural electrification a reality. In 1937, REA drafted the Electric Cooperative Corporation Act, a law states could choose to adopt or reject, that enabled the formation and operation of not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives. From there, the rural communities banded together to bring electricity to their areas. *Source: “The Electric Cooperative Story”, America’s Electric Cooperatives
This short history lesson helps illustrate that cooperatives were formed by people, for people. Because of these people, cooperatives have always been rooted in the communities they serve.
At Wright-Hennepin (WH), one of the Seven Cooperative Principles we abide by is “Concern for Community.” We love giving back to the communities we serve in various ways, including Operation Round Up, tree seedling and night light donations, electric safety demonstrations and college scholarships. However, this principle is not the only reason why we choose to participate in community events.
WH wants to connect with you, our member-owners, and we want you to get to know us. The events we attend and host are the perfect opportunities to do this. The more we connect with you, the more we learn about your needs. And the more you get to know us, the more you’ll learn about the integral role you play in this cooperative.
This summer look for us at your city parades and fairs, we might be there, trying to connect with you. For more information on the events we are a part of or sponsoring, visit our events page (https://www.whe.org/about/news-events/events.html). To see photos of WH at local community events, visit our Facebook page and like and follow us (https://www.facebook.com/WrightHennepin/?ref=bookmarks) or follow us on Instagram @wrighthennepin.
