Power lines

2023 Haywood EMC Director Elections

Haywood EMC is governed by a Board of Directors that represent the cooperative’s directorate districts. We are excited to announce our upcoming election for for Districts 5 (Northern Haywood County) and 6 (Buncombe County) for three-year terms beginning August 2023.

Do you have an interest in serving your fellow memberowners? Serving on the board of Haywood EMC means making a difference locally by using your individual talents to help guide big decisions about the co-op to benefit the greater western North Carolina community.

Do you have time available to help govern the cooperative?

Serving on the board of Haywood EMC means attending monthly board meetings held during the weekday and lasting 3 to 4 hours, as well as the ability to attend special meetings and events along with travel for training.

Interested in seeking election to the board? Director candidates must meet director qualifications briefly outlined below. The candidate application and petition forms will be available to pick up at the Waynesville headquarters office and the Lake Toxaway District office (by appointment) on April 5 and must be returned by May 5.

If the application is approved by the cooperative’s Creden-

General Director Qualifications

A Director or Director candidate must:

„ Be a natural person (actual person)

„ Have the capacity to enter legally binding contracts

„ While a director and during the 270 days immediately preceding the Director election, maintain their primary residential abode within the boundaries of the applicable residential Directorate District

„ While a Director, and during the twenty-five (25) years immediately prior to becoming a Director, not:

ƒ Be, nor have been, convicted of a felony

ƒ Plead, nor have pled, guilty to a felony

March 2023 tials and Elections Committee, the member will be considered a candidate for the director election. If the Credentials and Elections Committee approves you as a candidate, your name will be place on the Director Ballot and your information will be presented on haywoodemc.com, the cooperative’s social media channels, and in the July issue of Carolina Country magazine.

The Election results will be presented at the annual member meeting on Aug. 3, 2023, and announced on social media and our website.

A condensed version of our Director Qualifications from the Haywood EMC Bylaws is listed below. A full bylaws document can be found on Haywood EMC’s SmartHub.

„ Be a member using, receiving, and purchasing electric service from the Cooperative at the Director’s or Director candidate’s primary residence

„ Be current in all respects regarding payment to the Cooperative of additional payments and obligations, and not be subject to disconnection for non-payment of electric service at the Director’s or Director candidate’s primary residence

The full list of qualifications can be found through Haywood EMC’s SmartHub. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Haywood EMC’s Executive Assistant, Zara Shick, at 828-452-2281, ext. 4115.

Middle Schoolers: Apply Now for a Touchstone Energy Sports Camp Scholarship

Haywood EMC is now accepting applications for full scholarships to basketball camps at two North Carolina universities this summer.

Middle school boys can apply for a scholarship to attend the Carolina Basketball School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill June 17-21, and middle school girls can apply for a spot at the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp held at North Carolina State University in Raleigh June 18-22.

To apply, students must be a rising sixth or seventh grade student at a qualifying school. Applicants will be judged on their academics, extracurricular activities and an essay. The application period begins in January and applications must be submitted by March 31.

To learn more and apply, visit ncelectriccooperatives.com/sports-camps

College-Bound High School Seniors: Apply for the TSE Scholarship

Each year, Haywood EMC, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, awards scholarships to assist high school seniors in Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Madison and Transylvania counties in North Carolina; Rabun County, Georgia; and Oconee County, South Carolina, to attend a community college or university. A total of $5,000 will be awarded in one-time scholarships, from a minimum of $500 to a maximum of $2,500. As a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, Haywood EMC is committed to the communities we serve and recognizes the financial need of students wanting to attend college.

Eligibility criteria:

„ Must be a graduating high school senior from an accredited private or public school

„ Must be the child, grandchild, or legal stepchild of an active Haywood EMC member living in the cooperative’s service territory

„ Community involvement and extra-curricular activities preferred

„ Minimum GPA of 3.0 required; additional academic achievement awards preferred

„ Must include SAT scores

Application Deadline is April 7, 2023.

„ Must provide a 300- to 500-word essay on what Touchstone Energy is and its relationship with Haywood EMC

„ Must be accepted into an accredited university and be enrolled in an electrical engineering or a business-affiliated major such as business administration, accounting, marketing, human resources, management, etc.

„ Cannot be the child, grandchild or legal stepchild of an HEMC employee or board member

Applications can be filled out online at haywoodemc.com/tse-scholarship or you can pick one up from your high school guidance counselor.

ROW March

Haywood EMC’s contractors will be tree trimming power line rights-of-way in the following areas throughout the month of March: Davidson River, Ironduff, Cherokee, Maggie Valley, Fie Top , Toxaway, Hidden Valley, Sapphire, Midway and Candler

Eireann Marcus to Represent Haywood EMC at 2023 Youth Tour

Haywood EMC is proudly announces that Eireann Marcus will represent the co-op on this year’s Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. Eireann is a sophomore at Tuscola High School where she leads the American Sign Language Club. She is also a member of National Honors Society, Student Government Association and Math Club. Eireann is on Tuscola’s soccer, tennis and swimming teams. Outside of school, Eireann enjoys volunteering at her church, baking, running and crocheting. Join us in congratulating Eireann on earning a spot on this year’s Youth Tour!

National Ag Day is March 21

Agriculture is North Carolina’s top industry, and its history is closely intertwined with electric cooperatives. Electric co-ops, like Haywood EMC, were founded by farmers to bring power to rural areas and grew from their hard work and ingenuity. National Ag Day is March 21, but Haywood EMC thankful for our community farmers and Agricultural Member-Owners every day!

New Easy Way to Pay

Haywood EMC member-owners can now make cash payments at several retail store locations anywhere across the country.

You will notice a barcode printed on the back of your electric bill that can be scanned at retailers such as Dollar Store, Family Dollar, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and many others.

This barcode is also located within your SmartHub app by going to Bill & Pay, Pay by Cash, View Barcode. You can find a listing of participants by entering in a zip code or city name and choosing a search radius up to 25 miles.

Bring your printed or electronic version of your barcode to a cashier to be scanned (This cannot be