The Future is Bright

R. Gary Harrison

DISTRICT

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Cooperatives operate based on seven core principles, one of which is Concern for Community. Community involvement is something your board of trustees takes very seriously. They especially have a heart for future generations. They support our school programs as well as our philanthropy throughout the communities we serve. One of our school programs they are most proud of is our scholarship program. Your board created this scholarship program to help make education more affordable for our members’ children.

The program began when our statewide association created the Electric Cooperative Foundation back in 1997. Your cooperative started out awarding one $1,000 scholarship each year to a deserving high school senior. Over the years, your board of trustees has modified the program and increased the dollars awarded to each student. In 2023 alone, we presented 15 students with a total of $48,000 in scholarships. You can learn more about this year's recipients on pages 6-8 of this issue of Alabama Living. Your board recognizes that all forms of education are important as students are graduating and entering the workforce, so they ensured the program provides funding to fouryear, two-year and technical or trade schools.

I must tell you the annual luncheon we host to recognize these scholarship recipients is one of my most favorite events of the year. The room is filled with students, parents, school counselors, cooperative staff, and your board of trustees. There is such a positive energy in the air because everyone at the event is excited and looking forward to upcoming graduations. But the part of the event that I enjoy the most is sharing with the audience what community leaders, pastors and teachers have written about these students.

As I read through the comments, I know just how bright the future will be. As you would expect, they all have amazing grades and are involved in a tremendous number of sports and extracurricular activities. While it is outstanding that they are active and maintain good grades, that is not what stands out to me the most about these students each year. What I notice the most is that every single one of these letters discuss the character of these young men and women, and common words and phrases appear about each of them. I read about integrity, morals, care for their classmates, leadership, humility, volunteerism, and the list goes on and on. These students care about their community and mankind. They want to make the world a better place for those around them and that gives me great hope for the future.

I always leave our luncheon so encouraged that, while we see so much negative in the media about our young people, there are so many positive attributes to this generation that we should all celebrate. While 15 is a very small sampling of the total number in this rising generation, I believe there is so much good that we never hear about.

I want to thank this year’s scholarship recipients for the positive effect they had on me and thank our board of trustees for allowing us the chance to celebrate what is good. I am grateful to work for a cooperative that is focused on empowering future generations. Congratulations to the Class of 2023! 

Gary Harrison is President/CEO of Dixie Electric Cooperative, a member-owned electric utility serving more than 26,000 businesses and homes in portions of eight Alabama counties.

To learn more about our community and school programs, visit www.dixie.coop or follow us on Facebook and Twitter