KV REMC connects with the community at the 87th Annual Business Meeting and Member Appreciation Day

On the cool autumn evening of Thursday, September 24, Kankakee Valley REMC (KV REMC) celebrated its 87th annual Business Meeting and Member Appreciation Day at the Porter County Fairgrounds.

“Today’s event serves two purposes. First off, it’s a member appreciation event. It’s our opportunity to recognize the members that we serve all year long, and provide gratitude to them for what they give us and the opportunity to serve them,” said CEO Scott Sears. “Secondly, it is a business meeting. We tell them about what’s happened at the co-op throughout the year, what our plans are going forward, and it allows them to vote for their representation on the board.”

KV REMC is a membership cooperative delivering power to more than 21,617 residential and commercial members in the rural areas of Lake, Porter, La Porte, Marshall, Pulaski, St. Joseph and Starke counties. So, by serving so many areas, it’s integral to get social every so often.

“I get to stand at the front door, greet them and tell them thanks for coming. I get to catch up with people. Sometimes there are people that I only get to see every year at this event. This is an opportunity for you to make and mend many friendships,” said Sears.

The night is not all about business, though. Attendees were treated to a pork chop dinner provided by the LaCrosse Lions Club, with sides by John Andy’s Deli & Café as well as dessert.

Afterward, the fun began, which included live music by Sean Lamb and Janet Miller Band, bingo and a whimsical performance by street magician Norman Basile. For the kids in attendance, there were glitter tattoos, balloon twists and a Silly Safari educational animal performance.

Board Director Dave Janney spoke about why making this event family-friendly is essential.

“If you think about it, a lot of times folks are just getting off of work. They’ve got their kids. They may want to go to a business meeting to understand the cooperative, but need to leave their kids at home, get a sitter, or have an aunt or grandma watch the kids,” Janney said. “Here, they don’t need to do that. They can all come here together. There are some things to entertain the kids, and then the parents get to participate in the business meeting.”

All throughout the fairgrounds, spirits were high as people swayed to the music while kids ran about with their balloon swords, laughing all the way.

The event is also a great way to come together as a community.

“This is an opportunity to get a lot of those members together, not only to see us and to talk about what we provide as services, but for them to come together as a community as well. That doesn’t happen in a lot,” Janney said. “So, to get people from all different points of our territory, all socializing, eating together and gathering together is a really nice opportunity for us.”

The night culminated with the business meeting, which featured updates from co-op leaders, the presentation of scholarships, and the junior board of directors.

“We end up having a group of kids that will come together, and there might be seven to 11 of them, and for an entire year, they’re doing outreach programs back into the community. Whether it’s building something or raising funds for another needy not-for-profit, they’re doing all that while learning the board structure and how to lead and work together as committees and groups,” Janney said. “Then they get to come here, and we have the junior board president give a speech. There’s 500 people out there, and so for this kid to be able to have the opportunity to do that is just a really unique and nice piece of event.”

All in all, everyone involved is happy to spend an evening in a welcoming and fun environment that helps to strengthen the community and spread information about the cooperative.

“Giving back to the community, being part of the community, and making sure that we stay connected is vitally important. A lot of the folks here need to understand that we are the people that are that first line to make sure that their lights stay on,” Janney said. “Sometimes, they might not want to send an email or might not want to make a phone call. We like to be able to hear if they’re unhappy with something. This event is a nice way to have a longer conversation with someone and help them through the situation they have.”

For more information on Kankakee Valley REMC, visit its website kvremc.com. KV REMC connects with the community at the 87th Annual Business Meeting and Member Appreciation Day

By Carlos Acevedo

On the cool autumn evening of Thursday, September 24, Kankakee Valley REMC (KV REMC) celebrated its 87th annual Business Meeting and Member Appreciation Day at the Porter County Fairgrounds.

“Today’s event serves two purposes. First off, it’s a member appreciation event. It’s our opportunity to recognize the members that we serve all year long and provide gratitude to them for what they give us and the opportunity to serve them,” said CEO Scott Sears. “Secondly, it is a business meeting. We tell them about what’s happened at the co-op throughout the year, what our plans are going forward, and it allows them to vote for their representation on the board.”

KV REMC is a membership cooperative delivering power to more than 21,617 residential and commercial members in the rural areas of Lake, Porter, La Porte, Marshall, Pulaski, St. Joseph and Starke counties. So, by serving so many areas, it’s integral to get social every so often.

“I get to stand at the front door, greet them and tell them thanks for coming. I get to catch up with people. Sometimes there are people that I only get to see every year at this event. This is an opportunity for you to make and mend many friendships,” said Sears.

The night is not all about business, though. Attendees were treated to a pork chop dinner provided by the LaCrosse Lions Club, with sides by John Andy’s Deli & Café as well as dessert.

Afterward, the fun began, which included live music by Sean Lamb and Janet Miller Band, bingo and a whimsical performance by street magician Norman Basile. For the kids in attendance, there were glitter tattoos, balloon twists and a Silly Safari educational animal performance.

Board Director Dave Janney spoke about why making this event family-friendly is essential.

“If you think about it, a lot of times folks are just getting off work. They’ve got their kids. They may want to attend the event to learn more about the cooperative but need to leave their kids at home, get a sitter, or have an aunt or grandma watch them,” Janney said. “Here, they don’t need to do that. They can all come here together. There are things to entertain the kids, and then the parents get to participate in the business meeting.��

All throughout the fairgrounds, spirits were high as people swayed to the music while kids ran about with their balloon swords, laughing all the way.

The event is also a great way to come together as a community.

“This is an opportunity to bring our members together, not only to see and talk to us, but for them to come together as a community as well. That doesn’t happen often enough,” Janney said. “So, to get people from all different points of our territory, all socializing, eating together and gathering together is a really nice opportunity.”

The night culminated with the business meeting, which featured updates from co-op leaders and the presentation of scholarships to the Junior Board of Directors.

“The Junior Board of Directors program brings together fourteen juniors in high school for 8-months and they do community service, learn about board governance and the co-op business model, meet with area business leaders, strengthen their leadership skills, and career development. Whether it’s doing a project or raising funds for a non-profit, students are learning how to be better leaders and work together,” Janney said. “Then they get to come to the annual meeting, where the board president gives a speech about their time together on the Junior Board.  There’s 500 people in the audience, and so for a student to be able to have the opportunity to do that is a really unique and nice piece to the event.”

All in all, everyone involved is happy to spend an evening in a welcoming and fun environment that helps to strengthen the community and spread information about the cooperative.

“Giving back to the community, being part of the community, and making sure that we stay connected is vitally important. A lot of the folks here need to understand that we are the people that are that first line to make sure that their lights stay on,” Janney said. “Sometimes, they might not want to send an email or might not want to make a phone call, but they come to this event and share their thoughts with us.  This event is a nice way to have a longer conversation with someone and help them through the situation they have.”

For more information on Kankakee Valley REMC, visit its website kvremc.com.