Fayette Electric Cooperative, in partnership with CoBank, one of FEC’s lending partners, has awarded grants to four area not-for-profit organizations. These donations were made possible through CoBank’s Sharing Success Charitable Contribution Program.
CoBank started the program in 2012 as a way to give back to co-ops and the nonprofits they support. Aimed at supporting local communities and people, the Sharing Success Grant Program matches FEC’s charitable contributions to local nonprofit organizations. Since the program’s inception, CoBank and its customers have together provided nearly $66 million in support to nonprofit organizations across the nation.
“CoBank’s customers embody the cooperative principle of concern for community,” said Thomas Halverson, CoBank’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Through charitable contributions and outreach they provide a helping hand to people and communities in need and support the programs and organizations that are helping rural communities to grow and thrive.” “Sharing Success has been an important part of our citizenship program for ten years,” continued Halverson. “We are privileged to partner with our customers in their charitable efforts and look forward to the next decade of Sharing Success.”
The four nonprofit organizations chosen to receive funds from the 2022 grant program include: And Then a New Day, the Alliance for College and Career Student Success, the Heritage Society Museum of Weimar, Inc., and the Schulenburg Area Food Pantry. Each organization will receive $2,500 from Fayette Electric Cooperative and a matching grant from CoBank of $2,500 for a total of $5,000 each.
And Then a New Day’s mission is to help young adults with learning challenges find a meaningful purpose in life while discovering happiness. They also seek to educate the community about the potential these young adults have when provided with equal opportunities. Funds from this grant will go toward improvements to the And Then I Recycle Program. This recycling program currently serves over 20 individuals across three different counties with plans to expand to serve over 50 more. This is the only recycling pick-up program in the Schulenburg and Weimar area.
The Alliance for College and Career Student Success (ACCSS) is a partnership between five rural, public school districts including Fayetteville ISD, Flatonia ISD, Schulenburg ISD, Weimar ISD, Columbus ISD and the Blinn College District. ACCSS, along with its partners, works to share resources to provide dual credit opportunities and career pathways for students in their region. They also work collaboratively to provide academic and career resources, guidance and support necessary for students to complete a post-secondary or workforce career credential. Funds from the Sharing Success Grant program will be used for scholarships for high school students for tuition to be applied to dual credit classes that they are taking through Blinn College. The ACCSS program is housed at the Blinn College Schulenburg Campus.
The Heritage Society Museum of Weimar, Inc. has served Colorado, Fayette and Lavaca counties for over 30 years. Their mission is to preserve and display Weimar’s area history to all visitors, which includes surveying tools of its founder and many more exhibits. They also help to inform about other places to visit like the painted churches, museums in surrounding towns, as well as parks, golf courses and places to stay. The museum plans to use the funds they received from this grant towards repairs of the museum’s awnings and to replace its roofing on the east and south sides of the building.
The Schulenburg Area Food Pantry’s mission is to provide supplementary food, grocery and household products to qualifying families in the Schulenburg area. It was established in 1996 and serves on average 131 low-income families every month. Funds received from the Sharing Success Grant program will go to the purchase of an automated external defibrillator as well as the purchase of a new refrigerator.
“The seventh cooperative principle, concern for community, is one of the reasons we do what we do. While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in the communities in which they serve. These four non-profits are an asset to our communities and it is only right that we reward them for their efforts,” said FEC General Manager Gary Don Nietsche.