Every year, San Isabel Electric sends out thousands of capital credit checks, but not all of them get cashed.
Instead of sitting unused, those unclaimed dollars are transformed into community investments that improve safety, education, and quality of life across southern Colorado. One recent example: a state-of-the-art “burn box” that gives firefighters the live-fire training they need to stay safe during real emergencies.
Capital credits represent leftover money that wasn’t needed to run the electric cooperative. Every September, San Isabel Electric returns capital credits to members with a mailed check, typically ranging from $10 to $100.
When checks aren’t cashed, the co-op follows the state’s unclaimed property laws, and after three years, those unclaimed dollars are placed into a fund that the board of directors donates to community programs in the co-op’s service area.
And sometimes, those forgotten dollars end up doing something extraordinary.
TURNING CAPITAL CREDITS INTO COMMUNITY IMPACT
Recently, the Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District presented a donation request for a project that would prioritize firefighter safety and reduce the risk of structure fires spreading to surrounding wildlands.
The San Isabel Electric Association Board of Directors approved $10,000 of SIEA’s unclaimed capital credits for the project and then approached cooperative partners CoBank and Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Each stepped up with a $10,000 matching donation. Cooperative power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission donated the last $5,000 to meet the project’s funding goal.
Board of Directors Vice President Debbie Rose stated, “In southern Colorado, wildfires can occur any time of year. We are so grateful and proud that SIEA and our partners could support this project, helping ensure firefighters across the region receive the training they need to stay safe.”
The new Class A “burn box” provides firefighters with realistic experience in structure-fire firefighting. The facility helps them learn about structure fire behavior in a safe, controlled environment.
Before the project, rural first responder agencies had to travel to Pueblo or wait for a house scheduled for demolition to complete live-fire training. Now firefighters have access to weekly training sessions much closer to home.
TRAINING THAT SAVES LIVES
“Being able to offer new students and ongoing members live-fire training builds confidence. They learn that their gear has limitations in those conditions,” said Fire Chief Bryan Ware from Beulah Fire Protection District. “For seasoned firefighters, it’s a chance to study fire behavior in modern construction. The ultimate goal is simple: They go home at the end of every shift.”
SIEA Board President Jacque Sikes echoed the sentiment, “We’re honored to have the ability to use these funds to support the people that show up when the community calls 911,” she said.
A SMALL ACTION MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE
While capital credits may feel like a small annual benefit, they represent something bigger, the cooperative business model at work. And when checks go unclaimed, those dollars don’t vanish, they’re reinvested into projects that strengthen, protect, and uplift the communities San Isabel Electric serves.
From scholarships to training facilities like the new burn box, unclaimed capital credits make a lasting impact, proving that even forgotten dollars can change lives.
Do you have capital credits waiting to be claimed?
Every April, we publish a list of names of members who have unclaimed capital credits. Check for your name next month here in this magazine and online at siea.com/capitalcredits. The webpage includes a search tool that is available year-round — it’s an easy way to look for your name and initiate a capital credits claim.
