PEC grant for $3,500 to fund upgrade to Cottonwood Shores VFD training room
Pedernales Electric Cooperative presented a $3,500 grant to Cottonwood Pride, a Cottonwood Shores organization, which will use the funds to help upgrade the Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department’s training room. Pictured are Christine Widmer (left), Greg Widmer, Janet Taylor-Carusi, PEC Director of Community Engagement Trista Fugate, PEC Vice President of Safety and Support Services Richard Arellano, Rachelle Backer of PEC, Tommie Engler of PEC, and Tia Owens of PEC. Courtesy photo
COTTONWOOD SHORES — The Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Fire Department’s training room will get an upgrade thanks to a Pedernales Electric Cooperative grant.
The member-owned electricity utility awarded a $3,500 PEC Community Grant to Cottonwood Pride, a local nonprofit that supports the Cottonwood Shores VFD.
“This grant will allow us to make changes to the training room where we do the majority of our training,” said Janet K. Taylor-Caruso, president of Cottonwood Pride. “This will decrease the energy usage and reduce the bills over the life of the building. We’re very grateful for this opportunity to work with PEC.”
PEC Community Grants are funded by PEC members through the Power of Change program. Participants’ electric bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the combined funds are used to power change and enhancements in local communities, according to a PEC media release.
“We’re proud to serve and support our vibrant communities, and we appreciate that our members echo those cooperative values,” said Trista Fugate, PEC director of community engagement.
PEC members may enroll in Power of Change through a number of methods, including SmartHub, by phone, on their payment slips, or by visiting a PEC district office. Go to pec.coop/power-of-change to learn more.
“The members’ 10 cents here, 50 cents there is what’s funding this grant,” Fugate said. “For about $6 a year, members can have a substantial, positive and local impact in their neighborhoods and communities they call home.”
Go to cottonwoodshores.net for more information on Cottonwood Pride.