Licking Valley
RECC
Sleepless in Morgan County
September 1997
The employees of
Licking Valley Rural Electric Cooperative in West Liberty in eastern
Kentucky don’t generally stay up partying all night, but last
month it was for a good cause.
About 20 workers
and spouses put on theme T-shirts, pitched a tent, and walked around
the track at the old Morgan County High School from 7 p.m., Friday,
August 1, to 7 a.m. August 2 in the Morgan County Chapter of the
American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life.”
“A number of
people in the county and at the co-op have known people with cancer
who passed away,” says Bill Duncan, Licking Valley co-op general
manager. “This is a way we can be involved in our community, show
our support for the consumers, help some people in the process, and
even have some fun.”
For the few weeks
before the annual event the co-op employees became entrepreneurs,
baking pies and making breakfasts for each other, in return for
contributions.
Friday night
began with 21 teams from local churches, businesses, and family
groups setting up campsites and watching the first lap around the
track made by surviving cancer victims. Then the participating
organizations sent out their teams, keeping one member on the track
until the conclusion. The last lap was again walked by all the
participants, who were then treated to a breakfast put on by the
local McDonald’s. In between was a 10 p.m. “luminary service,”
with 1,000 candles, and prizes for things like best campsite and
best team name. Duncan’s team was the Licking Valley Lightning
Bolts, of course.
The event
exceeded the $20,000 goal set for the Morgan County chapter,
bringing in $54,000, the most per capita in Kentucky.
The organizers at
the co-op were Jimmy Adkins, member services adviser; Kendra Bell,
cashier receptionist; and Maudie Wilson and Gina Jenkins with the
computer and data department.
Licking Valley
Rural Electric is a consumer-owned co-op that distributes
electricity to 13,500 homes and businesses in the seven-county area
around West Liberty.
Noting that the
fundraiser exceeded its goal, Duncan says, “I’m proud of what’s
been accomplished in this county.” He adds that, through the co-op’s
participation, “It lets people get to know us and share their
comments with us. It’s also a chance to show that we’re not only
an electric co-op but part of the community.”-Paul Wesslund |
