Fill the Bucket – Making a Difference in Our Communities
By DeAnna Greene
At the beginning of August children eagerly began school and were more prepared because Valley Electric collected supplies during their 16th annual Fill the Bucket drive. This drive is a favorite for the Valley team because it has a direct impact on the children of the community. One of the seven cooperative principles that Valley operates by is “Concern for Community” – this event is the epitome of what this means.
Volunteers from Valley Electric, Valley Communications, and SolPower rallied at Pahrump stores to collect supplies and battle the summer heat and high humidity from the storm that raged in the Pahrump Valley the day before. With smiles on their faces, these volunteers collected school supplies from other community members looking to help the area’s children.
This year the supply drive collected ten buckets of physical school supplies. This is equivalent to approximately 230 cubic feet of school supplies, which equates to $5000 worth of supplies. Valley also received just over $15,000 in cash donations from members, employees, and corporate partners. The cash donations are approximately worth another 30 buckets of supplies.
“This event is exactly what Valley Electric and its family of businesses are about. Watching the generosity of our community is always amazing, we can always count on our members, staff, and vendors to come together to support this event.” Amy Carlson, Manager of Executive Administration, Corporate Communications & Marketing, exclaimed. “It is great to see everyone support the Fill the Bucket drive year after year, supporting the children in our communities.”
It takes several people to put this event on and it continues to be a success year after year. “I want to thank each and every one of the volunteers who donated their time and energy to this event. This is exactly what our cooperative is about, community and coming together. It is what we were founded on and how we operate today. Quite frankly, watching everyone come together to help our local children is inspiring” Mark Stallons, Chief Executive Officer, said.
Valley Electric wants to express gratitude to those who made this event successful. Thank you to Albertsons, Smiths, and Walmart for allowing Valley to collect at your locations.
The Co-op appreciates the school teachers, administrators, and the transportation department staff that came out to support the event.
Fill the Bucket wouldn’t be a success without everyone who donated supplies and funds, we are grateful to each person or business that contributed to our event. We truly appreciate your assistance in helping make a difference in our communities. A special thank you to Valley’s corporate sponsors: Arevon; GridLiance, A NextEra Energy Transmission Company; EDP Renewables Sunshine Valley Solar Project; Davison Van Cleve; and Pahrump Utility Company, Inc. Our corporate sponsors are invested in the future of our co-op and believe in helping to support and build community through partnership and collaboration.
“Developing projects that provide clean energy is one cornerstone of Arevon’s mission as a renewable energy leader. It’s a company priority to continually invest in the communities that house our projects,” said Justin Johnson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Arevon Energy, Inc.
“Investing in local education ensures that Arevon can continue to be a good long-term business neighbor in Nevada. We hope that our $5,000 donation to Valley Electric Association’s Fill the Bucket Drive will help provide local students with the necessary supplies required to have a successful school year.”
We look forward to continuing the Fill the Bucket drive next year and bringing the community together once again for such a rewarding cause.
