With the Independence Day holiday approaching, our thoughts turn to cookouts, parades, and fireworks as we rightfully celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. The day following the Fourth of July isn’t going to light up the night sky with fireworks, but it is a day of significance for IEC members due to July 5 being designated by the United Nations as International Year of Cooperatives Day. In fact, the UN declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives, recognizing the impact cooperatives have on communities around the globe and an opportunity to highlight the essential role cooperatives play in building strong and vibrant communities.
IEC is proud to be part of the cooperative tradition for nearly 90 years. On July 20, 1935, Indiana took a bold step toward energy equity. That’s when the Indiana Secretary of State approved the articles of incorporation for the Indiana Statewide Rural Electric Membership Corporation, launching a movement that would bring light, opportunity, and prosperity to rural communities throughout our great state. Today, our commitment set forth in IEC’s mission, is to unify, lead, serve and advocate on behalf of 1.3 million Hoosiers. And thus lies the beauty of the cooperative model, a sustained focus on the interest of our members and their communities, as relevant today as it was in 1935
The International Year of Cooperatives theme is “Cooperatives Build a Better World.” It reminds us that we are part of a much larger cooperative community — one that reaches across the nation and the world. Programs like Project Indiana, for example, demonstrate how Indiana’s electric cooperatives are extending their reach by helping power remote Guatemalan villages while bringing a better standard of living and opportunity to its people. Traveling to Palmira, Guatemala, in February for Project Indiana 2025 was a life-changing experience for me personally. I came back from the experience inspired by the dedication of our Project Indiana crew and the hardworking families in the Guatemalan highlands near the Mexican border who received power for the first time.
On July 5 and throughout this International Year of Cooperatives, take time to reflect on your role in this ongoing mission to serve cooperative communities. And take satisfaction in knowing that you are part of something that is much larger than any one individual. You are part of a movement that is 90 years in the making, built on a business model that has a long and successful track record of raising up communities. I am grateful for the role that IEC serves to support electric cooperatives and I look forward to opportunities throughout the year to deliver on our shared mission.