2018 June Woodruff Center Pages

woodruff electric cooperative edition

A Trip of a Lifetime – 2018 Youth Tour to Washington Congratulations, Madisyn Witcher and Mary Katherine Osborne!

Woodruff Electric Cooperative is pleased to announce that Madisyn Witcher of McCrory and Mary Katherine Osborne of Wynne will represent the cooperative on this year’s Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., June 8 – 14. Madisyn is a homeschool student at Cornerstone Acres, and Mary Katherine is a student at Wynne High School. They were chosen through an essay contest.

This year they were asked to explain “How rural electrification has affected lives and economic growth from the 1930s through the present and its likely effects on the future.” Madisyn and Mary Katherine were selected among 45 Arkansas high school juniors who will participate in Youth Tour.

The group will visit the U.S. Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson monuments, the Vietnam Memorial, World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum, Mount Vernon, and other sites in Washington, D.C. The group will also attend special programs developed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). NRECA is the national-level organization of electric cooperatives that coordinates the annual Youth Tour.

Woodruff Electric Cooperative, one of 17 electric distribution cooperatives within the state, is sponsoring Madisyn and Mary Katherine on this “trip of a lifetime.” They will join approximately 1,600 students from across the nation in Washington, D.C. for the Annual National Rural Electric Youth Tour.

Woodruff Electric and the state’s other electric cooperatives operate collectively as the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. This is the 30th year that the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas have sponsored the trip.

Madisyn Witcher

Mary Katherine Osborne

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Holiday closing The offices of Woodruff Electric Cooperative will be closed Wednesday, July 4, 2018, in observance of Independence Day. Have a safe and happy holiday!

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3201 Highway 1 North, Forrest City, Arkansas 72335 (870) 633-2262 Outages: (888) 559-6400 www.woodruffelectric.coop

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JUNE 2018

WOODRUFF ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

Capital Credits Distributed

WOODRUFF ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

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my co-op

In a few days you will receive a check for your capital credit retirement if you were a member of Woodruff Electric in 1984 and 2017.

Everyone looks forward to receiving a check, but not everyone really understands what it represents and why they receive the check.

One of the fundamental differences between a cooperative and an investor-owned utility is the fact that money earned in excess of expenses is returned to the membership of the cooperative. The money earned in past years has been used to build new power lines, purchase poles, wire, and transformers, and to perform maintenance and make improvements to our electric system. In effect, the cooperative has borrowed capital from its members rather than going to the financial market. Use of this money helps to reduce our operating expense and keep our electric rates low.

Every member is allocated a proportionate share of the cooperative’s earnings each year. Annually, the board of directors of the cooperative will evaluate the financial condition of the co-op to determine the amount of capital credit allocations to be retired. This year the board of directors voted to return over 1.4 million dollars to the members of the cooperative.

As a member of Woodruff Electric Cooperative, you are one of approximately 10,500 owners.

This is another fundamental difference between a cooperative and an investor-owned utility. All of the owners of Woodruff Electric receive electric service from the co-op, as do all the directors. All pay the same rates and receive the same service.

Providing safe, reliable electric service at the lowest cost consistent with sound economy and good management is our goal at Woodruff Electric.

Working together as a cooperative since 1937, we now have over 4,900 miles of line and over $174 million in total assets at the end of 2017. Woodruff Electric is proud to be your local energy partner.