A small village in central Guatemala will gain electricity in mid-August, thanks to a team of 16 lineworkers from Colorado and Oklahoma electric co-ops.
Electric co-op consumer-members, employees, directors and others are invited to join these lineworkers in bringing not only electricity, but also clean water and student supplies to the village of La Montanita de la Virgen, Guatemala. (Learn at the end of this article how you can help.)
CREA, the trade association for Colorado’s electric cooperatives, is partnering with NRECA International, the philanthropic arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives to bring electricity to another remote area of a developing country. This is CREA’s third time sponsoring an international team, having sponsored teams in 2018 and 2019 before COVID-19 shut down the projects.
Representing Colorado are: Chet Stickler of Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs, who will lead the Colorado team; Zeb Birch, Grand Valley Power in Grand Junction; Chris Kling, United Power in Brighton; and Clayton Shonk, White River Electric in Meeker. Serving as an alternate to complete the team if one of the others can’t make the trip is Nathaniel Pennell of Mountain View Electric in Limon and Falcon.
The team, which leaves the United States July 31, will bring electricity to 72 homes, a school, a church and a health center. You can help the team also give the gift of clean water to each family and school supplies to each child. For only $35, you can provide a water filter and a pack filled with school supplies and kid-friendly items for those in this small village.
Visit crea.coop/community-outreach/current-causes/ to donate to the project via PayPal. Or send a check made out to CEEI (CREA’s nonprofit entity) to 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216. Mention Guatemala on the memo line of the check.
We can all work together to bring light to a Guatemalan village.