Dates to Remember

June 7-14 . . Washington Youth TourJune 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flag Day June 17 . . . . . . . . . . Father’s DayJune 21 . . . . . . . . Summer begins

Note: Southern Rivers Energy will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Call 866-244-4890 to report an outage.

June 2018 southernriversenergy.com GEORGIA MAGAZINE

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Exercise Your Voice as a Co-op Member

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018. The 80th Annual Meeting of Members will be held behind SRE’s office on Hwy. 341 South in Barnesville to take action on the following: 1. Reports of officers, directors and committees; 2. The election of three cooperative directors; 3. A proposed bylaw amendment; and 4. Other business that may come before the meeting or any ad- journment thereof.

Members will vote on a proposed bylaw amendment that, if adopted, will update Article III, Section 3.02, per-taining to director eligibility:From: No person shall be eligible to become or remain a Director:a) who is not eighteen (18) years of age or older;To:a) who is not competent to legally enter into a contract in the state of Georgia;

Members, remember to bring your personalized registration card and door-prize ticket from the cover of your August issue of GEORGIA Magazine and receive a special gift at registration.

Please celebrate with us as we look back on 80 years of service to the com-munities we call home.

Registered members (account holders) will receive a gift and be entered in the door-prize drawing after the business meeting!

Save the Date

Door PrizesIn addition to the special gifts given away and door prizes, 10 lucky members will receive a $50 bill credit.

Special DrawingTo thank Operation Round Up® participants for their generosity throughout the year, each registered ORU member will have a chance at winning a flat-screen TV.

Grand PrizeThe winning ticket for the grand prize of $500 cash will be drawn first, so that every registered member has a chance. Only the member or account holder is eligible for door-prize drawings.

Southern Rivers Energy’s 80th Anniversary Annual Meeting of Members

2018

RECI

PIEN

TS

24B southernriversenergy.com GEORGIA MAGAZINE

SRE Trust Inc. Awards $15,000 in Scholarships to Five Local StudentsSouthern Rivers Energy and the Southern Rivers Energy Trust Inc. awarded $15,000 in scholarships to five local students. This year, the trust considered 36 qualified appli-cants from across the nine-coun-ty service territory, to be judged blindly by a scholarship panel of retired teachers. Applicants were evaluated on the core values that Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, like Southern Rivers Energy, in-corporate in their business model: innovation, integrity, accountabili-ty and commitment to community. The scholarship committee also reviewed grade point average, com-

munity and school involvement and letters of recommendation.

This year’s $3,000 scholarship recipients are: Victoria Barnes, of Griffin, from Spalding High School; Jordan Carr, of Forsyth, from Mary Persons High School; Bayleigh Jackson, of Thomaston, from Upson-Lee High School; Hannah Nauck, of Concord, from Pike County High School; and Tay-lor Smith, of Zebulon, from Pike County High School.

The SRE Trust Scholarship pro-gram is funded by SRE’s Operation

Round Up® program. In addition to the scholarships, the SRE Trust also funds projects for deserving charitable community organi-zations and individuals and the Bright Ideas teacher grant pro-gram. Bright Ideas and the SRE Trust Scholarship program com-bined distribute $30,000 directly to education each year. This is in addition to any grants that schools may receive from the parent Op-eration Round Up® program. Since 2007, the SRE Trust has awarded $170,000 in scholarships to local students. For more information, visit southernriversenergy.com.

VICTORIA BARNES JORDAN CARR BAYLEIGH JACKSON HANNAH NAUCK TAYLOR SMITH

WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CLASSROOM, WOULD YOU RATHER BE FILLING A PAIL OR LIGHTING A FIRE?

TEACH OUTSIDE THE TEXTBOOK. LET US HELP.Each year, Southern Rivers Energy offers a total of $15,000 in grants to local teachers. Bright Ideas projects provide innovative, creative learning expe-riences for students that are otherwise unavailable. Teachers are encouraged to think outside the box and provide their classroom with unforgettable educational opportunities. Apply today and ignite a passion for learning!

Applications are due by midnight, Sept. 1, 2018, and must be submitted online at southernriversenergy.com. Applications received by Aug. 17, 2018, will be entered in an Early Bird Prize drawing for a $250 OfficeMax gift card. Visit southernriversenergy.com for details or contact Kathryn Claxton at 770-358-1383, ext. 348, or kathryn@srivers.net.

June 2018 southernriversenergy.com GEORGIA MAGAZINE

“I wish to meet a pink unicorn in the rainforest.” -Addison, 6

Addison is a lively, energetic and creative 6-year-old! Because she is battling leukemia, Make A-Wish® Geor-gia had the chance to meet with Addison and discover what her most heartfelt wish experience might be. Addison quickly said she wanted to go to Hawaii, which is a popular wish destination. However, her wish had an unusual twist—she wanted to see a pink unicorn! Addison believed that pink unicorns live in a special rainforest in Hawaii.

With the assistance of Make-A-Wish® Hawaii, Make-A-Wish Georgia was able to bring Addison’s wish to life. Actors and actresses from Diamond Head Theatre joined in to help create Addison’s fantastical experi-ence. According to the script they created for the day, Addison had three main tasks to fulfill on her quest: find the sweetest fruit, find the prettiest flower and sing a song to release the magic unicorn. Once all three were accomplished, she would successfully free the “Queen of Arboretia,” who had been kidnapped for taking too much from the land. When Addison finally saw the unicorn, the smile on her face lit up the island. With just a little teamwork and a lot of imagination, Make-A-Wish Georgia made a little girl’s most heartfelt wish come true.

The SRE Trust recently awarded Make-A-Wish Georgia $10,000 through Operation Round Up® to help make wishes come true for children like Addison throughout the communities served by SRE.

Operation Round Up® Grants Awarded in March:Middle Georgia Community Food Bank: $10,000 to fund the Senior Brown Bag program for 2018, serving six counties in SRE’s service territory.Muscular Dystrophy Association of Central and West GA: $10,000 to fund summer camp for 20 children from SRE’s service territory at Camp Twin Lakes.Hope Tree Foundation: $5,000 to distribute food to needy families in Lamar, Spalding, Pike, Upson and Monroe counties.Pike County Fire Department: $2,998 to purchase 10 fire hose adapters and a Power Jet Siphon to improve firefighting capability and efficiency.

Operation Round Up® is Southern Rivers Energy’s charitable foun-dation. Its sole purpose is to give back to the communities we serve. Contributions are made to the foundation when participants elect to have their monthly electric bill rounded up to the next dollar.

The Southern Rivers Energy Trust Inc. awarded nearly

$28,000 at their March meeting to four organizations making a positive impact throughout our communities.

To find how you can make a differ-ence, visit southernriversenergy.com and sign up today or speak to one of our customer service representatives at 770-358-1383.

Rounding Up and Reaching Out

KEVI

N LU

BERA

1990s80TH YEAR CELEBRATION • 1938-2018

1990S

SOUTHERN RIVERS ENERGY

During the 1990s, Pike County was an area of focus. Line construction and new development led to a new substa-tion to improve reliability. Other areas throughout the service territory re-ceived attention and upgrades during this time, including parts of Bibb and Crawford counties.

Lamar EMC, later Southern Rivers Energy, experienced change within their system as well as administration. On June 30, 1990, Thomas Weldon retired after serving two years on the Board of Directors and 27 years as General Manager.

Lamar EMC spent most of the 1990s examining how to provide better service to members and the efficiency of its op-erations facilities. After considering all options, Lamar EMC began plans for a new building in the center of the cooper-ative’s service area.

LINDA SMITH, ROD WILSON, WILLY FOSTER AND BUEL ALLEN WERE PART OF THE

METER DEPARTMENT IN 1995.

24D togetherwesave.com GEORGIA MAGAZINE

Official publication ofSouthern Rivers Energy

P.O. Box 40, Barnesville, GA 30204www.southernriversenergy.com

Erin Cook, CCC, EditorKathryn Claxton, Designer

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJohn W. Dumas, Chairman

Stephen Goodman, Vice ChairmanHarry Park, Secretary

Millie Alexander, TreasurerRalph Nix

Brian OgletreeJohn Pope

Samuel SniderNedam Walker

STAFFMichael J. McMillan,

President/CEO

Charles J. Lowery, CPAVice President of

Finance and Administration

Ernest H. Neubauer, P.E.,Vice President of

Engineering and Operations

Erin Cook, CCCDirector of Marketing/Member Services

Patricia BeckerCustomer Service Supervisor

Donald Jones, Construction & Maintenance

Superintendent

OUTAGE HOTLINE1-866-244-4890

OFFICE HOURSMonday through Friday

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Drive-in Window AvailableClosed Saturdays,

Sundays & Holidays

Southern Rivers Energy is an equal opportunity provider and employer

Steve Caison,Chief Operating Officer

COMMUNITY AND BOARD MEMBERS GATHER FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING AND OPEN HOUSE

AT THE NEW HEADQUARTERS IN 1997.

Summer Rates are Here

Summer Rates: June-September

First 800 kWh or less @ 9.35¢ per kWhMore than 800 kWh @ 11.75¢ per kWh

Winter Rates: October-May

First 800 kWh or less @ 9.35¢ per kWhMore than 800 kWh @ 9¢ per kWh

Customer Charge @ $27.50 per month

June marks the beginning of hurricane season and summer rates. As the temperatures heat up, be sure to use your air conditioner wisely to maximize your energy dollars. We recommend setting your thermostat at 78 degrees and using ceiling fans to circulate the air for comfort.

These rates do NOT reflect sales tax or current Power Cost Adjustment.