HR0423 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0423 LRB098 12198 GRL 46409 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of Western Illinois Electrical Coop. on the 75th anniversary of their cooperative; and

WHEREAS, Western Illinois Electrical Coop. was officially formed on August 1, 1938 in Carthage, Illinois, through the hard work and dedication of a handful of local residents wanting to improve living and farming conditions for themselves and their neighbors; and

WHEREAS, Because of the lack of density, it simply wasn't possible for the for-profit utilities to make a profit serving rural areas with only a few farms or homes per mile of electric line; with the help of loans from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), the people living in these rural areas banded together to form member-owned and member-governed electric cooperatives; and

WHEREAS, This group of local residents went door to door signing up their neighbors to become members of Western Illinois Electrical Coop. and convincing them that a cooperative would bring lights and power to the rural area; and

WHEREAS, Their hard work paid off and Western Illinois Electrical Coop.'s lines were first energized on January 10, 1940, initially serving 716 member-owners in Hancock County; and

WHEREAS, Western Illinois Electrical Coop. continues to provides reliable electric service to member-owners in Adams, Hancock, Henderson, and McDonough counties; and

WHEREAS, For 75 years, the cooperative has served its member-owners based on 7 guiding principles: voluntary and open membership, member-elected and controlled boards of directors, members' economic participation, autonomy and independence, education and training, cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the members of the Western Illinois Electrical Coop. on the 75th anniversary of their cooperative; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Western Illinois Electrical Coop. as a symbol of our esteem and respect.