CO-OP NEWS

“This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.” CARROLL WHITE REMC P.O. Box 599; Monticello, IN 47960 800-844-7161 (Toll Free) www.cwremc.coop MONTICELLO OFFICE 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday DELPHI OFFICE 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday EMAIL info@cwremc.coop CEO Cathy Raderstorf BOARD OF DIRECTORS Margaret E. Foutch, 219-279-2677

7535 W, 500 S, Chalmers Gary E. Gerlach, 574-595-7820

9833 S. Base Road, Star City Kent P. Zimpfer, 765-479-3006

4672 E. Arrow Point Court, Battle Ground Tina L. Davis, 219-204-2195

7249 W, 600 S, Winamac Ralph H. Zarse, 219-863-6342

1535 S, 100 E, Reynolds Aaron N. Anderson, 765-427-5592

6634 W, 300 S, Delphi

MISSION STATEMENT

“Creatively enhancing our community through safety and service.” Safety, Service, and Community

IMPORTANT DATES

Cycle 1 November bills are due Dec. 5 and are subject to disconnect Dec. 28 if unpaid. Cycle 2 November bills are due Dec. 20 and are subject to disconnect Jan. 10 if unpaid. Cycle 1 meter reading date is Dec. 1 and Cycle 2 meter reading date is Dec. 15.

ARE YOUR AIR VENTS BLOCKED?

Blocked air vents force your heating system to work harder than necessary and increase pressure in the ductwork, which can cause cracks and leaks to form. Make sure all air vents are unobstructed from furniture, drapes or other items to ensure sufficient circulation throughout your home. If necessary, purchase a vent extender, which can redirect air flow from underneath furniture.

— U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ carrollwhite.remc

DIRECTOR NOMINATION procedures

The following director nomination procedures are from the guidelines of Carroll White REMC’s bylaws.

The bylaws state: It shall be the duty of each director to call a meeting of the members of their district during the year in which a director is to be elected for their district at least 75 days prior to the annual meeting, and by the vote of the members from such district, one person from such district shall be nominated for director for such district and shall be certified by the Member Teller of such meeting to the Board of the Cooperative within five days after such meeting. The director shall provide notice of such district meeting to all members within such district at least sixty (60) days before the designated date for the district meeting. Persons seeking nomination at a district meeting shall declare their intent to seek nomination by providing a petition with the signatures of at least fifteen (15) members at least thirty-five (35) days before the designated date for the district meeting. Such petitions shall be presented to the Cooperative headquarters. No nominations from the floor will be received at the district meetings. All voting at such meeting shall be by secret ballot. A Member may vote in person at the district meeting or may cast a ballot provided by the Cooperative prior to the meeting in the manner and within the timeframe established by the Board and described on the early ballot. A Member submitting a completed early ballot may not revoke the early ballot and will not be entitled to vote at the district meeting. The Cooperative shall count as a Member’s vote a properly completed early ballot received on or before the date and time stated in early ballot. A Member’s failure to receive an early ballot does not affect or invalidate a vote taken by other members in the district. An early ballot may not be procured or cast through fraud or other improper means. As determined by the third-party administrator for early voting, an early ballot procured or cast through fraud or other improper means is invalid.

If two members are candidates, the member with a majority of the votes shall be certified by the Board. If more than two members are candidates for nomination, the member receiving a plurality of the votes shall be certified by the Board. In addition to the district meeting nomination process, any twenty-five (25) or more members may make other nominations in writing over their signatures not more than three (3) weeks after the district meeting and the Secretary shall post the same at the same place where the list of nominations is posted. Nominees and members making such nominations must be from the district in which a director is to be elected. Nominations from the floor at the annual meeting of the members will not be accepted. The Secretary shall be responsible for mailing to each member of the Cooperative at least ten days prior to annual meeting, a statement of the number of Directors to be elected and showing separately the nominations made by the several districts.

ELIGIBILITY

No Person shall be eligible to become or remain a Director of the Cooperative who:

a. Is not a member and full-time resident in the district from which he/she is nominated; or

b. Is or their spouse is, in the opinion of the board, employed by or holds a voting interest in an enterprise continued on page 6

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the board reasonably believes to be competing with the Cooperative in providing services to the Cooperative or members of the Cooperative. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the board may find that such interest is nominal and is of minimal impact on the Cooperative. In such case, the board may waive the conflict of interest. Further, a Director’s election to the Board of Directors of the Indiana Electric Cooperatives or to Wabash Valley Power Association, Inc. does not make such Director ineligible and does not constitute any conflict of interest.

c. Fails to attend two (2) consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors, including regular and special meetings, or fails to attend three (3) regular or special Board meetings during the twelve (12) month period commencing the first meeting following the Cooperative’s Annual Meeting of the Members, unless such absences are attributable to illness, injury, or other just cause as determined by the board of directors.

d. Has been an employee of the cooperative or a subsidiary of the

Cooperative within the last three (3) years.

EXPIRING TERMS

Those directors whose terms expire at the next annual meeting on June 23, 2023 are: The following are the boundary lines for those districts:

District Three: The Township of Prairie in White County, Indiana and Tippecanoe Township in Carroll County, Indiana, as well as the adjacent territory in the Townships of Tippecanoe, Washington, and Perry in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.

District Five: The Townships of Carpenter, Jordan and Milroy in Jasper County, Indiana and Honey Creek and Monon Townships of White County, Indiana. Also, that portion of Liberty Township in White County, Indiana South of County Road 500 North.

District Seven: The Townships of White Post, Jefferson, Monroe, Salem and Beaver of Pulaski County, Indiana. Also, that portion of Liberty Township in White County, Indiana North of County Road 500 North.

DISTRICT 3

Kent Zimpfer

DISTRICT 5

Ralph Zarse

DISTRICT 7

Tina Davis

Season’s Greetings!

The Carroll White REMC board of directors and employees wish you a very joyful holiday season!

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

adding up in Operation Round Up

One of the biggest hits of the 1930s was Bing Crosby’s song “Pennies from Heaven.” Released during the Great Depression, the song encouraged listeners to stay hopeful throughout hard times.

“Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven. Don’t you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven?” This catchy tune was performed by great jazz musicians and leading performers like Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Tony Bennett and Louis Prima.

The vision of pennies from heaven is one of optimism — the smallest coin raining down to create something big. To date, Carroll White REMC (CW REMC) members have rounded up their monthly electric bills over time to generate almost 100 million pennies for Operation Round Up. We have reached $947,153.41 in money collected for non-profits in our service territory! “As we reach toward the $1 million mark, we are thankful for the generosity of CW REMC members who ‘round up,’” said Casey Crabb, CW REMC communications and public relations manager. “Your generosity is inspiring, and we thank you for your ‘pennies from heaven.’” In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Operation Round Up board of trustees granted $10,431 to 11 non-profits. The largest grant of $2,000 was granted to Remington Wolcott Ministerial Association.

“We operate a food pantry for our school district families,” wrote grant writer Barb Federer. “This includes White County, Jasper County and a small portion of Benton County. We now provide two complete nutritional meals to each family. Along with the meal packets, they receive items for breakfast and other pantry needs.”

The Monticello First Presbyterian Church received $1,500 to support its Sole for Souls program. “We use the funds to purchase gift cards from Shoe Show Inc. so White County children can buy good, sturdy shoes for the upcoming winter,” wrote grant writer Mike Rice. In the past year, Sole for Souls provided 92 pairs of shoes to area children.

Delphi Community Middle School also received a $1,500 grant to bring author Lisa Fipps, who resides in Kokomo, to speak with students. “This year, every middle school teacher will be reading aloud the book ‘Starfish,’ written by Lisa Fipps,” wrote grant writer Bernadette Kremer, middle school librarian.

“‘Starfish’ is the story of Ellie, a middle school girl who struggles with low self-esteem due to her weight and is bullied by her friends and some of her family members. Fortunately, Ellie has a few allies who help her learn to cope and become proud and comfortable with who she is,” wrote Bernadette Kremer. This book and author visit will integrate with the school’s anti-bullying campaign.

Three $1,000 grants were also distributed in the fourth quarter. The Town of Reynolds earmarked its grant to assist in creating a master plan for the community parks. “The parks and recreation master plan will be prepared by KIRPC. As part of the plan, we will obtain approval of the grants plan from Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), ensuring that the town is eligible for the IDNR Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund for future construction improvements,” wrote grant writer Bob Hall.

Junior Achievement (JA) of Greater Lafayette will use its grant to assist in funding a curriculum for continued on page 8

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fourth grade classes at Oaklawn and Eastlawn Elementary schools. “JA of Greater Lafayette is responsible for White County,” wrote grant writer Jen Edwards. “The program presented to fourth graders will be ‘JA Our Region,’ which will introduce students to entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs use resources to produce goods and services in a community.”

Katelyn Allen, R.N. at Delphi Community Elementary School, is utilizing Round Up grant funds to help purchase updated health education and interactive materials for students, including materials related to dental hygiene and hand cleanliness. “The past years have been COVID-19 driven,” wrote Allen, who was the grant writer. “My goal is to provide fun and educational information to students so they can learn about health and how to best care for themselves and others.”

Delphi Community Middle School received a grant for $731 to provide funds to cover registration fees and study materials for the 2022-23 Junior Academic Bowl competition scheduled in April 2023 at Tecumseh Middle School in Lafayette. “This competition provides extraordinary opportunities for students to broaden their knowledge and understanding of advanced topics and to practice researching, integrating and synthesizing material not offered during regular classroom instruction,” wrote grant writer Erin Munday.

The Francesville-Salem Library was one of three grant recipients receiving $500. The funds will support their 2023 Winter Reading Program. “The Winter Reading Program is an excellent way to encourage young patrons between the ages of 0-18 to love reading for their lifetime,” wrote grant writer Anita Messer, library director. “Studies have shown the earlier children are read to, the higher their educational outcome will be.”

Carroll County Community Center requested funds and received $500 for a fitness room and program equipment upgrade. “Our membership is over 600 families, adults and youth participants,” wrote grant writer Julie Watkins. “We never turn anyone away for inability to pay. Health and wellness are important, and we want to be able to provide classes and a facility that enhances our community’s physical and mental health.”

Friends of Carroll County Parks is utilizing its $500 grant to help build a small, shed-like shelter to accommodate two tables in the primitive (tent) camping area at French Post Park. “In 2008, the Friends of Carroll County Parks organized and began work to save and support the two county-owned parks,” wrote grant writer Bonnie Maxwell. “In 2022, Bob Burton and Greg Nipple, members of the parks board, spent a lot of time clearing brush and trees from the western portion of French Post Park in order to expand the area available to visitors for fishing in Rock Creek and exploration of the area.”

Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District received a $200 grant for its annual youth educational project. “We provide Carroll County 2nd graders with a day of learning about the Earth and the environment around them,” wrote grant writer Rhonda Hicks. “The students enjoy the Earth Fair and practice what they learn at home and share with their families the importance of stewardship. We provide a live tree to plant to each participant for them to plant at home.”

As a whole, the funds from Operation Round Up are making a big difference in our service territory. As the song “Pennies from Heaven” reminds us, “You’ll find your fortune falling all over town. Be sure that your umbrella is upside down.” The fortune of Round Up continues to build, so be a part of this exciting venture to help others in a multitude of ways.

Interested in supporting Operation Round Up?

Visit www.cwremc.coop for more information.

office closings

The Carroll White REMC offices will be closed Dec. 23 and 26 due to the Christmas holiday and Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 due to the New Year’s holiday.