The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives® of the Dairyland Power System kicked-off National Co-op Month with their inaugural Cooperative Day of Service on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023.
Dairyland coordinated six service projects throughout its service territory and joined forces with employees from local electric cooperatives to showcase the cooperatives’ dedication to the cooperative principle, Concern for Community.
Projects included:
- Alma, Wis. – 12 miles of highway clean-up
- Elk Mound, Wis. – Painting at the Elk Mound Hill Castle and the Village Park including the Lions shed and ball field dugouts. Volunteers also weeded, raked and seeded the Solid Waste and Recycling Site, cleared brush and trails, seal-coated the basketball court and painted curb stops at the library.
- Rushford, Minn. – Volunteers worked with the Southeastern Minnesota Citizens Action Council (SEMCAC) to complete various projects including highway clean-up and painting, cleaning windows and replacing exterior lighting at SEMCAC facilities.
- Holmen, Wis. – Volunteers worked with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy to conduct brush clearing at the New Amsterdam Prairie.
- Tony, Wis. – Volunteers gave a local ballfield a facelift by removing and replacing old fences and bleachers. Materials were donated by Tony Lumber and through contributions from Jump River Electric Cooperative.
- Prairie du Chien, Wis. – Volunteers worked at Wisconsin Badger Camp painting tables and cabins, organizing the maintenance shop, cleaning up trails and clearing brush.
“Concern for Community and Cooperation Among Cooperatives are core principles of the cooperative business model,” said Dairyland President and CEO Brent Ridge. “Today’s efforts really took that commitment to another level. I am truly inspired by all the good work the employees and volunteers from Dairyland and our member cooperatives completed in just a few hours today. This is the ‘Cooperative Difference’ at work and we are excited to lead this event to kick-off National Co-op Month.”