Observing National Cooperative Month
It’s hard to believe that it’s already October! Though it hasn’t really been feeling like autumn weather, it is technically autumn and has been since September 23. I am ready for the cooler temperatures the season will eventually bring, to be sure, but what I really like about October is getting to hold Rio Grande’s Annual Meeting and observing National Cooperative Month. I mean it! It’s the perfect time to refresh everyone on the 7 Cooperative Principles.
These are not just guidelines we follow once in a while, if we feel like it. The 7 Cooperative Principles are the tenets upon which all cooperatives are founded. They are what sets cooperatives apart, and they apply to cooperatives in the US and elsewhere around the world.
There are many different types of cooperatives. They range from utility co-ops like Rio Grande, to housing, food, and farmer cooperatives. In the United States, there are more than 800 electric cooperatives which cover. There are also arts & crafts cooperatives, retail cooperatives like Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI), credit unions, insurance companies, and almost any other type of business you can imagine. Cooperative brands like Ocean Spray, Land O’Lakes, Blue Diamond, Sunkist and Sun Maid are household names.
Though these cooperatives are all different, they all operate to provide goods or services to those who own and receive those goods or services from them. The members of these cooperatives share in the ownership, governance, and benefits of them, in the same way Rio Grande’s members own, govern, and receive benefits from it. Please take a minute to review the 7 Cooperative Principles included within the Rio Grande Electric Cooperative (RGEC) pages of this magazine. You’ll see why this is so important to us at Rio Grande, and why it’s also important to you, as a member-owner of the cooperative.
I encourage you to take full advantage of your rights as a member. Along with these rights comes responsibilities, as well. Responsibilities include participating in the director election, which runs through October 11. As we go to press with this edition, the 78th Annual Meeting is rapidly approaching. It will be held Saturday, October 14, at 10 a.m. Central. Join us virtually for the meeting to learn about this business you own, and you could even win a prize. See our “How To Participate” page, and make sure you have downloaded the current version of Zoom beforehand, so you’ll have an easy time connecting.
The QR code can be scanned for quick and easy registration. The registration link becomes active at 8 a.m. Central Monday, October 2. Those who are among the first 50 to register, and who virtually attend the meeting, will be eligible for a special bonus prize. Make sure to have your account number handy when virtually attending the meeting, so you can chat in to claim your prize, if you see your name during the prize drawings! We look forward to another great annual meeting, and hope you can be a part of it!