Tri-County EMC and its members are celebrating more than $1,000,000 in contributions to Operation Roundup, a program

started in 2001 to fund worthy projects within the Tri-County service area. A special event marking the occassion will be held on Thursday, October 16 at 12:00 PM at the Tri-County EMC office in Gray. Operation Roundup allows members to round their bill up to the next dollar with that small amount of change going to fund worthy service projects in the Tri-County service area. Since its inception in 2001, Operation Roundup has helped to pay medical expenses, construct wheelchair ramps, provide food for the hungry, support local education and more. “I’ve served on the Tri-County EMC Foundation Board since 2001,” said Rev. Ron McClung, Chairman of the Tri-County EMC Foundation Board which administers Operation Roundup Funds. “It’s been amazing to see the impact Tri-County members have made over the last 13 years. Whether it’s helping house fire victims get a roof over their head or getting food to a food bank, Operation Roundup has made a noticeable difference in the Tri-County EMC service area.”

With an average monthly contribution of 50 cents, the annual total contribution averages just six dollars. The cumulative impact of these contributions have been dramatic, with nearly 400 awards being funded to organizations benefitting local needs. Because Tri-County EMC absorbs operational costs of the program, 100 percent of funds donated by members are returned to the community.

“Second only to rural electrification, Operation Roundup is the best thing this cooperative has ever done,” said Greg Mullis, Senior VP of

Energy Services. “This $1,000,000, all from voluntary donations, has truly changed lives.”

If you or someone you know has benefited from Operation Roundup, we invite you to join us to celebrate this milestone on October 16.

current linesA monthly publication for Tri-County EMC members

September 2014

Operation Roundup reaches $1 million, page 1

No Sweat,History Book, Annual Meeting, page 2

Scholarship, Couples Conference, Save $400, page 3

Truck Sale, Recipe Box, page 4

In this issue:

Celebrating $1,000,000 in Contributions

please join us

as we celebrate in Operation Roundup contributions

October 16 12:00 PMTri-County EMC

Headquarters 310 West Clinton St.

Gray, GA 31032

$1million

onemilliondollars

in dollar bills laid end to end would be 97 miles long.

$

c in pennies would weigh 575,300 pounds.

in contributions would touch the lives of a community.

No Sweat Giveaway Earlier this year, Tri-County EMC members had the opportunity to have a No Sweat load management switch installed. All members that enrolled by June 16, 2014 were given a chance to win one of five prizes, including an iPad MiniTM, a Nest thermostat, a GoPro cam-era, an X-Box Live, or $400 cash. Five win-ners were chosen and they are shown below. No Sweat switches are installed on members’ central AC units in order to help cut electric demand during peak times. This will decrease the need to construct new power plants in the future and keep electric costs down.

Thank you to all members who participate in No Sweat. Your $25 credit for participating will be applied to your October bill. To learn more about the No Sweat load management program or to enroll, visit tri-countyemc.com/no-sweat.da.

Did you find your account number?

Tri-County EMC’s Annual Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 PM. You do not have to at-tend the annual meeting in order to vote. If you enrolled in online voting before August 30, you will receive your logon information to vote via email on September 18. If you did not enroll to vote online, you will receive a ballot in the mail by the first week of October that can be returned via mail or to either office by 5:00 PM on October 16. All members that cast a vote will be entered to win $500. (69877004) If you have questions concerning the Annual Meeting and Election, feel free to contact us at 1.866.254.8100.

Find your complete account number in this issue of Current Lines and win a $50 bill credit. Call 478.986.8126 to claim your bill credit.

meet the winners!

75th Annual Meeting Cast Your Vote!

The Power of You A 75-Year History of Tri-County EMCFrom manual to automatic me-ter reading, from 40 miles of line to 2,724 miles of line, from building lines by hand to digger and bucket trucks, from 238 meters to more than 21,463 meters—there have been countless changes in the coop-erative over the past 75 years. It’s hard to imagine that just 75 years ago electricity was not available in what is now the Tri-County service area. The Power of You, A 75-Year History of Tri-County EMC, written by Kim Bonner and Greg Mullis, tells the story of how your cooperative helped to bring “the lights” to rural Georgia and transform way of life in the area.

Books will be distributed to every registered member at the 75th Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 PM. Following the meeting, books will be available at either office location upon request while supplies last.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Robert Parham, Sr. of Putnam County, Melissa McKenzie of Baldwin County, Haiby Nicholes of Jones County, Genee Cameron of Jones County, and George and Marie Howell of Baldwin County.

In August, Timothy and Chesli Poole represented Tri-County EMC at the Cooperative Couples Conference in Hiawassee, Georgia. During the conference the Poole’s networked with cooperative leaders from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky. They learned about the economic and service benefits of cooperatives and how coops differ from other corporations. They were also able to exchange ideas with other couples from around the state. “This conference provided an opportunity to exchange concepts and build alliances with members from different facets of the cooperative community. We enjoyed our time at the conference and made some new friends as well.” (46945001) To learn more about the Cooperative Couples Conference, visit www.tri-countyemc.com/couples-coop-conf.da.

Local couple attends Cooperative Couples Conference

Chesli and Timothy Poole

In addition to funding community grants, the Tri-County EMC Foundation offers scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students—with preference given to non-traditional students—to help pay their college costs.

Through Operation Roundup, a total of $4,000 ($1,000 per winner) is awarded annually to students residing in the homes of Tri-County EMC members. Applicants must be enrolled in any U.S. accredited college, university or technical school and have maintained at least a 2.0 average.

Applications are available by mail upon request or may be downloaded at www.tri-countyemc.com /roundup-overview.da. Applications are due October 15.

To learn more about the Operation Roundup scholarship and other opportunities for students, visit www.tri-countyemc.com or contact Kim Bonner at 478.986.8126 or kimb@tri-countyemc.com.

Operation Roundup Scholarship Applications Due

Lose the Lint - $70Clean the lint filter on your dryer at least once a week. A clogged up filter traps heat and moisture, dramatically increasing the run time to dry a load of clothes, especially things like heavy towels or jeans. Because the dryer pulls about 120 CFM of conditioned air out of the home, extra run time will also make your heating and cooling bill go up.

Toss the Extra TV - $64Get rid of the extra TV in your basement or spare bedroom. Even if never turned on, a medium-sized flat screen television and a DVR satellite receiver will combine to use 30 to 60 watts continu-ously. If you can’t bear to send them packing, at least put them on a power strip and keep them turned off until you need them.

Give the Oven a Break - $46Use the microwave or grill outside instead of using the oven and stove for cooking meals whenever possible. The heat given off us-ing two surface elements and the oven give off about a third of the heat needed to keep the average house warm on a cold night. So imagine what it does to your cooling loads in the summer. Just by switching to the microwave for two meals a week, you could save almost $50 per year.

One Degree of Savings - $75Changing your thermostat setting one degree warmer for the summer and one degree cooler for the winter will reduce your annual HVAC bill about 3 to 5%. For a 1,500 ft/2 house with a fairly efficient heat pump, that’s roughly $75 per year in savings. If your home is larger or has an older heating and cooling system, your savings could easily be double.

Ditch the Dinosaur - $154If you have a refrigerator stashed in an unconditioned garage or utility room, particu-larly if it only has a few bottles of your favorite beverage inside, it’s time to say goodbye. A modern 20 cubic foot refrig-erator working comfortably in your kitchen may only use $50 a year in electricity. But that aging, harvest gold model laboring in your 95 degree ga-rage may be costing you more than it’s worth.

Save $400 a Year Without Spending a Dime

C. Hill Bentley, CEO

Board of DirectorsTom Thompson Jr., ChairmanBrenda P. Green, Vice ChairmanThomas Noles, Secretary/TreasurerDan Greene, Sammy Hall, Chester Mercer, Marion Nelson, Cecil Patterson, Mike S. Rainey III

current lines Monthly Publication for

Tri-County EMC Members Kim Bonner, Editor

Communications Specialist

P.O. Box 487Gray, GA 31032478.986.8100FAX 478.986.4733www.tri-countyemc.com

Thanks to Helen Curlee of Milledgeville for sharing this delicious recipe! Did you know that your recipe is worth $20 if chosen? Send your best recipes to kimb@tri-countyemc.com or mail to P.O. Box 487, Gray, GA 31032.

Ingredients: 3/4 cup self-rising flour 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cinnamon 3 cups of sugar 2 cups of grated zucchini

1 cup vegetable oil4 eggs, beaten2/3 cup of water1 tsp. lemon juice 1 cup of chopped pecans

Recipe BoxZucchini Bread

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients, except the nuts, in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Gradually fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add nuts to the mixture. Separate into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until done.

Owned by Those We Serve

Truck for SaleTri-County EMC has a truck for sale “as is” by sealed bid. All bids are due to the Gray office by June 15, 2014. For more information, call 478.986.8126 or 1.866.254.8100, ext. 8126.

Please send sealed bids to:Tri-County EMCAttn: Kim Bonner, Truck BidP.O. Box 487Gray, GA 31032Please include your name and contact information along with your bid

2004 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab: LWB 4WD (Does not work but can be repaired by buyer) 5.4 Liter V8 engine 239,795 miles