Youth and Education Overview

Tri-County Electric Cooperative believes strongly in the power of community and the cornerstones of our communities are our schools and children. We have committed to support education and area youth in a variety of ways.As always, we are here for you when your school conducts fundraisers or solicits advertising. If you have a unique need that doesn’t fall under one of our programs, submit your request for assistance using our online charitable giving form and we will see what we can do. Our partnership with educators in strengthening the power of community is vital to our mission. Thank you for allowing us to join you as we follow our youth’s journey to responsible adult citizens who give back to the community.

For more information on our youth and educational programs, call (800) 522-3315 or e-mail .

Visit the following pages for in-depth information on the following programs:

• Electrifying Student of the Month - Recognition program open to high school students in our service territory. Each month from August to May one student is selected to receive a $100 Visa gift card.
• Youth Tour - High school juniors in our service territory can apply for the Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
• Energy Camp - Eighth graders in our service territory can apply for an all-expense-paid camping trip at Canyon Camp outside of Hinton, Oklahoma.
• Scholarships - High school seniors in our service territory are eligible to apply for one of two scholarship programs the cooperative offers.
• Classroom Kits - The cooperative offers Get Charged! and CFL Charlie educational kits for grade school educators to use in their classrooms.
• Touchstone Energy Kids Zone - A cool place where you can learn about electricity, energy savings and electrical safety. Includes online games and classroom educational resources.

Additional programs we offer schools in our service territory:

CoopCast Desktop Weather Tool

CoopCast offers instant weather information, specific alerts by location, interactive radar screen to pinpoint and track storm movement, plus pertinent information from local school administrators delivered directly to parents’ desktops. Anyone can download CoopCast completely free of charge.

After downloading the tool from our Web site, a parent will see the CoopCast icon in the bottom right of the computer screen. Parents will immediately be able to view the local weather radar information in their area and receive alerts for inclement weather directly to their desktop. As an added bonus, they will receive text messages concerning important information from their local school. In addition, users will be able to link to the Co-op Connections Web site where members can identify great money-saving discounts from local, regional and national businesses that are available to Tri-County Electric members compliments of their Connections Card Program.

The fact that local schools will be able to use this communications tool to convey information such as school closings, athletic events, parent-teacher meetings, etc. should prove to be a valuable asset to students, parents, teachers and administrators. These timely bits of info sent directly from school administrators will automatically scroll across the bottom of parents’ computer screens.

One of the major differences between this weather package and others offered online is that Tri-County Electric is controlling the content and communications directed through this application. In this way, SPAM, and other undesirable features typically accompanying similar services will be minimized.

Principle Seven Radar and Lightning Strike Weather Tool

Principle Seven is an online weather tool that allows schools to see lightning strikes. It also has radar capabilities with zoom features. Tri-County Electric pays the subscription fee for schools as we appreciate the vital importance of keeping our children safe. School administrators should contact the cooperative if they would like a free demonstration of the tool's capabilities. The first screenshot below illustrates how the tool shows lightning strikes. The second screenshot illustrates the tool's radar capabilities.

Elementary School Planners (Agendas)

Tri-County Electric donates planners to elementary (K-6) students in its service area at the beginning of every school year. These planners help students to stay organized and keep on top of their daily assignments throughout the year. We pay for up to $7.50 for each agenda. Administrators may contact Premier Agendas directly at (800) 221-1165 to place their order. Once the school receives the invoice, they should submit it to Tri-County Electric and the cooperative will pay Premier Agendas directly.

Rotary Club Dictionaries

Tri-County Electric teams up with area Rotary Clubs to provide Scholastic Children’s Dictionaries to third graders annually. Literacy is one of the primary goals of Rotary International. Tri-County Electric is proud to share in that goal and help area Rotary Clubs reach out to local children. We have participated in this effort the past three years and plan to continue doing so.

Bottled Water

We donate bottled water to area schools for use at events and for sale through concession stands. This save schools the expense of purchasing the water. In years past, this was provided on an as-needed basis. Going forward in the 2008-2009 school year, we will provide a set amount of water branded with the school’s logo at the beginning of the year.

Football Tailgate Parties

As a way to show our team spirit, we began hosting tailgate parties at home football games for local schools in the 2007-2008 school year. Parties vary by the needs of the school. Usually, we grill hamburgers and host a hot dog eating contest. We also purchase items for a fundraising raffle. We will continue this effort in the 2009-2010 school year. While we aren’t able to reach all area schools each season due to scheduling, we will try to rotate them from year to year. All-in-all, it’s a fun time for us and the crowd.

Gross Receipts Tax

In a 2008, more than $1.3 million was contributed to schools in the Oklahoma Panhandle through the gross receipts tax collected by Tri-County Electric. The state gross receipts tax is paid by all electric cooperatives in Oklahoma based on the amount of energy sold. One advantage of being served by a cooperative is the gross receipts tax goes directly to the school districts where the taxes are collected.

Each school district’s share is calculated using the gross receipts tax rate multiplied by miles of electric line in each school district. Seventeen school systems in the Oklahoma Panhandle receive gross receipts funding.

Plugged-In Free Monthly E-Newsletter for Educators

Administrators and teachers are encouraged to sign up for our free monthly e-newsletter for educators to stay abreast of Tri-County Electric's educational opportunities. To subscribe to the free e-newsletter, send an e-mail to .