Your Electric Co-op

Chief Executive Officer and General Manager

Robert E. Castillo, P.E.

Grants Office

200 E. High St.• P.O. Box 1087 Grants, N.M. 87020 505-285-6656 505-287-2234, fax

Gallup Office

2500 NM Highway 602 • P.O. Box 786 Gallup, N.M. 87305 505-863-3641 505-863-2175, fax

After Hours

877-775-5211

Office Hours

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (M-F)

Satellite Payment Offices

Villa de Cubero, Zuni, Tribal Utility Dept.

Website

www.cdec.coop

Board of Trustees President

Keith Gottlieb, At-Large

Vice President

Grant Clawson, District 6

Secretary-Treasurer

Joe Hoskins, District 7

Lyle Adair

District 8

Alex Griego

District 1

Wes Malcolm

District 2

Lloyd Ortega

District 4

Claudio Romero

District 3

Alfred Saavedra

District 5

CDEC and CoBank Offer Annual $5,000 Grant

For the ninth consecutive year, a charitable grant of up to $5,000 will be awarded to an active CDEC account holder and qualifying organization.

The grant is made possible by CDEC’s board of trustees, in partnership with CoBank—a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America.

Annually, CDEC contributes $2,500 toward the “Sharing Success” grant. CoBank matches it dollar-for-dollar to bring the total available up to $5,000.

This year, applications are due no later than 5 p.m. on Fri., July 31, 2020.

CDEC account holders that are 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible to apply. Select organizations that are not designated a 501(c)(3) may also be eligible. These organizations include schools and government organizations such as counties or municipalities and their agencies or departments, as long as the grant is used to serve a public purpose consistent with program guidelines listed on the application. Organizations that are political in nature, limit their activities based on religious affiliation, or discriminate do not qualify. CDEC and CoBank reserve the right to review and determine whether requests are eligible.

Applicants must provide a narrative that describes how the organization intends to use the money and how it will benefit a CDEC service-area community or communities in one or more of the following areas: • Energy Efficiency and or Renewable Energy – Grant funds can be used for an organization’s project that promotes the efficient use of energy efficiency, such as weatherization. Funds can be used for planning, developing or constructing a renewable energy source. • Education – Grant funds can be used for an organization’s project that benefits students in grades K-12 or students enrolled in an accredited New

Mexico college or university in CDEC’s service territory. • Environment – Grant funds can be used for an organization’s project that benefits the environment. • Economic Development – Grant funds can be used for an organization’s project that promotes or creates economic development.

Applications are reviewed to ensure all conditions are met. CDEC’s board of trustees selects a winner based on recommendations from a committee, which ranks applications by their lasting impact and overall strength.

The grant application chosen is then forwarded to CoBank for its review. Upon CoBank’s approval, CDEC notifies the recipient, and full payment is made within 60 days.

Because the CoBank matching-grant money is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, CDEC reserves the right to bump up the deadline to ensure full funding is available for the grant recipient selected. “We encourage potential applicants to contact CDEC and inform us of their intention to apply. The co-op can then attempt to notify these organizations, if the deadline changes,” CDEC Member Services Manager Mac Juarez said.

Applications can be downloaded at www.cdec.coop. For more information, contact CDEC’s Mac Juarez at (505) 285-6656 or mjuarez@cdec.coop

August 14th is the new deadline to be counted in this year’s census.

The federal government recently extended the deadline from July 31, 2020, because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The primary purpose of the census is to determine how many people live in a household and their ages as of April 1, 2020.

If you haven’t already received the Census 2020 questionnaire by U.S. Postal Service, you can answer the 10 survey questions by telephone or online.

To take the census in English, call 1-844-330-2020. Spanish speakers can call 1-844-468-2020. To submit it online, visit www.my2020census.gov

“While you’re at home during this difficult time, please go online or call. It only takes a few minutes to help your entire community for the next 10 years,” said Anna Larson, Cibola County’s Planning Coordinator.

Larson used the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate the importance of this year’s census.

“Our public healthcare response is based on population counts from the census. Hospital supplies are ordered based on populations served. If you don’t want to see your community hospital or your children’s school understaffed or understocked, it is important that your family gets counted,” Larson said.

The U.S Constitution mandates that a housing and population count occur every 10 years. The data gathered guides how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year. It also determines how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Federal law requires people to respond and truthfully answer the census questionnaire. It should be completed by the person who owns or rents living quarters, or any other person who is at least 15 years old with knowledge of the household. It only takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Census data is strictly confidential and not shared with any law enforcement agency. The questionnaire does not ask for Social Security, credit card or financial information such as bank account numbers. It also does not ask questions about immigration or citizenship status, or political party affiliation.

Census 2020: Your Headcount Matters!

Other News

Krysta McCracken, a fourthgrader at St. Joseph Mission School in San Fidel, is the overall first-place winner of the 2020 safety poster coloring contest. Second place is Keiarah Nelson, a first-grader at Catherine A. Miller School in Church Rock. Third place is Abigail Becksvoort, a fourthgrader at Zuni Christian Mission School. CDEC awarded the three winners $75, $50 and $25, respectively. Winners from each of the 19 participating schools received t-shirts.

W h e r e E d u c a t i o n

C o u n t s !