Vol73-6 June 2023

Socially Conscious

Your cooperative came to life when neighbors joined together in 1937 to bring electricity to Southern Maryland. Those roots are the foundation of this company and one of the core principles of cooperative culture—commitment to community. Contributing to the community in a positive way means supporting our neighbors and local businesses as the community grows. The employees embody this principle and you will often see SMECO employees lending a hand wherever they can. 

In September, four SMECO employees dressed to win for the annual Clements Cuties softball game. This event raised more than $32,000 to help local children battle cancer. In a tradition originating in the 1970s, Clements Cuties team members dress as women to face the all-stars from the St. Mary’s County over-30 women’s league. SMECO supported the cause with a $2,500 donation to the Clements Cuties Foundation that was matched by CoBank through its “Sharing Success” program. As part of this program, CoBank also matched three additional SMECO donations, providing $2,500 to Christmas in April in Calvert County, Rebuilding Together Charles County, and Christmas in April in St. Mary’s County.

SMECO employees also held their Annual Charity Golf Outing in September and raised $55,000 to donate to the Center for Children. The annual golf event is supported by SMECO vendors, the cooperative’s board and executive team, and employees who volunteer. Each year, the cooperative selects different organizations to benefit from its fundraising efforts.

Donations are just one way the cooperative supports the community. In July, the cooperative hosted more than a dozen high-school students from the area to help inspire the next generation of women engineers. Each year the College of Southern Maryland holds the Engineer Like a Girl camp to expose students to the opportunities available for women in engineering fields, and this year’s campers spent a day at SMECO learning about the engineering principles behind electric systems.

Slow-moving Category 4 Hurricane Ian hammered Florida in September 2022, leaving a lot of destruction in its wake. Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, served by Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC), were some of the areas hit the hardest, and Ian left more than 90 percent of LCEC’s customers without power. Five experienced SMECO foremen and former linemen volunteered to join more than 1,000 workers from multiple states to help LCEC rebuild its system and restore electric service.

 

A little closer to home, SMECO sent several crews to lend a hand in Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s service area in Virginia after they were hit by severe thunderstorms that knocked out power to thousands of its members.

Across the country or just down the road, the employees of the cooperative maintain a service attitude. Through it all, SMECO is committed to being responsive, reliable, and resourceful—power you can count on.

SMECO is not only a good neighbor in Southern Maryland, but it is also a good neighbor to its cooperative family.

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