First Electric Cooperative (Arkansas)
Encyclopedia
Mission Statement
"First Electric, improving quality of life.”
History
First Electric Cooperative Corporation is a nonprofit electric distribution cooperative. It was incorporated April 26, 1937, as the first electric cooperative in Arkansas under the direction of the Rural Electrification Act as signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
First Electric Cooperative energized its first power lines on April 15, 1938, near Jacksonville, Ark., with three employees and served 150 members.
Today, First Electric Cooperative serves more than 88,390 member accounts throughout parts of 17 counties in central and southeast Arkansas. First Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Jacksonville, Ark., and also operates four other full service offices in Benton, Heber Springs, Perryville and Stuttgart.
First Electric Cooperative owns and maintains more than 9,500 miles of distribution power lines and 42 substations. First Electric Cooperative is the second largest distribution cooperative in Arkansas and one of the 30 largest of the nation's 900 electric cooperatives.
First Electric Cooperative's member account base is 95 percent residential, 3 percent commercial and industrial and 2 percent agricultural. First Electric Cooperative is organized as a not-for-profit business, returning capital credits to its member owners on a recurring basis. With the 2009 capital credit refund of more than $5 million, the total amount refunded to First Electric members is now more than $43.4 million.
Community involvement
First Electric gives back to the community through several programs.
Each year, First Electric supports dozens of area nonprofit organizations through Operation Round-Up. Thousands of First Electric members participate in Operation Round-Up. Each month, their bill is rounded to the next even dollar amount. That “spare change” is held in an account that is administered by the Operation Round-Up Board of Trustees.
Money collected through Operation Round-Up also funds five $2,000 scholarships for local high school seniors. Applications are available by the first week of February and are awarded in April each year. Applicants must be a high school senior whose parents or guardians are members of First Electric Cooperative. The applicants also must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average through their senior year of high school. The scholarships are awarded to students who attend an accredited institute of higher learning in Arkansas on a full-time basis.
Another program for youth is the Rural Electric Youth Tour. Every year since 1989, First Electric has selected up to five high school juniors to represent the cooperative during the Rural Electric Youth Tour. The tour is an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. First Electric's representatives will join more than 1,500 students to tour the nation's capital. Applications are availabe by the first week of February. Any high school junior whose parents or legal guardians are members of First Electric Cooperative are eligible to apply for the Youth Tour.
External links:
First Electric Cooperative website
First Electric Cooperative Facebook page
"First Electric, improving quality of life.”
History
First Electric Cooperative Corporation is a nonprofit electric distribution cooperative. It was incorporated April 26, 1937, as the first electric cooperative in Arkansas under the direction of the Rural Electrification Act as signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
First Electric Cooperative energized its first power lines on April 15, 1938, near Jacksonville, Ark., with three employees and served 150 members.
Today, First Electric Cooperative serves more than 88,390 member accounts throughout parts of 17 counties in central and southeast Arkansas. First Electric Cooperative is headquartered in Jacksonville, Ark., and also operates four other full service offices in Benton, Heber Springs, Perryville and Stuttgart.
First Electric Cooperative owns and maintains more than 9,500 miles of distribution power lines and 42 substations. First Electric Cooperative is the second largest distribution cooperative in Arkansas and one of the 30 largest of the nation's 900 electric cooperatives.
First Electric Cooperative's member account base is 95 percent residential, 3 percent commercial and industrial and 2 percent agricultural. First Electric Cooperative is organized as a not-for-profit business, returning capital credits to its member owners on a recurring basis. With the 2009 capital credit refund of more than $5 million, the total amount refunded to First Electric members is now more than $43.4 million.
Community involvement
First Electric gives back to the community through several programs.
Each year, First Electric supports dozens of area nonprofit organizations through Operation Round-Up. Thousands of First Electric members participate in Operation Round-Up. Each month, their bill is rounded to the next even dollar amount. That “spare change” is held in an account that is administered by the Operation Round-Up Board of Trustees.
Money collected through Operation Round-Up also funds five $2,000 scholarships for local high school seniors. Applications are available by the first week of February and are awarded in April each year. Applicants must be a high school senior whose parents or guardians are members of First Electric Cooperative. The applicants also must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average through their senior year of high school. The scholarships are awarded to students who attend an accredited institute of higher learning in Arkansas on a full-time basis.
Another program for youth is the Rural Electric Youth Tour. Every year since 1989, First Electric has selected up to five high school juniors to represent the cooperative during the Rural Electric Youth Tour. The tour is an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. First Electric's representatives will join more than 1,500 students to tour the nation's capital. Applications are availabe by the first week of February. Any high school junior whose parents or legal guardians are members of First Electric Cooperative are eligible to apply for the Youth Tour.
External links:
First Electric Cooperative website
First Electric Cooperative Facebook page