November is the month for Thanksgiving, and I’d like to give thanks for the tremendous staff of your cooperative. The cooperative family is a far-reaching and close-knit group. From our small office here in Flora to the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives in Springfield to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association that stretches across the nation, the cooperative family is always available to offer aid and advice when trouble shows up. Being as small as we are, it’s reassuring to know we have a nation of allies to help us when questions need answered or new challenges arise. We are thankful for all of them and for all of you, our members.
November promises to be an eventful month for us. We are thrilled to announce our inaugural Giving Thanks Blood Drive, a collaboration with the American Red Cross and Oil Belt Christian Service Camp. This lifesaving event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the main activity building/gym at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp. For more details and to schedule your blood donation, please visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/ceci.coop or register on the American Red Cross website at redcrossblood.org. If you can’t make it to our drive, we encourage you to participate in one of the other drives happening in Flora this November.
You will see a notice for the annual meeting of Clay County Water Inc. in the magazine this month. Our members who receive water service from CCW can attend the meeting, to be held on Nov. 13, 2023, and receive a $10 bill credit. The meeting will be held at the Floyd Henson Jr. High School, with registration starting at 5:30 p.m. and the business meeting starting at 6 p.m.
In this issue of the magazine, you’ll notice a substantial list of names. We are publishing our undeliverable list for capital credits. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, any surplus funds collected through rates, beyond what is necessary to cover our annual expenses, are retained as margins. These margins are held in reserve for emergencies and later returned to our members as capital credits. This year, we are distributing capital credits earned in 1982 and 1983. Please review the list of names, and if you find your name or recognize someone else’s name, kindly inform us or the individual concerned.
Don’t forget to be on the lookout for your member number in the center section of this magazine. There are three member numbers hidden in Clay Electric News. If you find your number and give us a call, you win $5 off your next bill!