WREA donates $26,800 to three Meeker entities

MEEKER I White River Electric Association successfully obtained matching donation grants to assist the Meeker School District, Pioneers Healthcare Foundation and the Rio Blanco County Historical Society.

White River Electric’s goal is to support and promote growth in the Meeker community. With the support of its wholesale power company, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, and using matching funds from Basin Electric Power Cooperative, WREA has donated a total of $26,800 to these three entities since the first of the year.
The matching funds program allows the WREA board to make discretionary donations to help meet the needs of the rural community to promote growth and stability for rural members of WREA.

“WREA is grateful for the support of Tri-State Generation and Transmission and Basin Electric, which helped make such a generous donation possible,” WREA General Manager Alan Michalewicz said.
Below is a description of the donation grants, with photos running left to right:
Far left photo: Barone Middle School Principal Jim Hanks and student Brandon Lozano accepted a total for $8,000 to be used in conjunction with the Google Chromebooks initiative adopted by the ETIL Committee within the Meeker School District. The project would allow for the purchase of approximately 120 Chromebooks to be used in the classroom and to be checked out to students.The district has received several grants to fund the project, which will allow students to learn on an Internet-based operating system and will use the WREA funds to further the project. Pictured from left to right are: WREA Board President Bill Jordan, Barone Middle School Principal Jim Hanks, student Brandon Lozano and WREA General Manager Alan Michalewicz.

Center photo: As a result of the member match program, WREA was able to contribute a total of $10,000 to Pioneers Healthcare Foundation to be used in conjunction with the new hospital facility. WREA Board President Bill Jordan, left, and General Manager Alan Michalewicz, far right, presented the check to hospital CEO Ken Harman and Dr. Kellie Turner in February. The funds have been earmarked to support the Pioneering Spirit Campaign, which will allow enhanced services—such as chemotherapy, pain management, infusion treatment and bariatric care—at the new facility.
Far right photo: Ellene Meece, president of the Rio Blanco County Historical Society, accepts a $4,400 donation match on behalf of the Coal Creek School Restoration Project from WREA Board President Bill Jordan and General Manager Alan Michalewicz. A total of $8,800 was gifted to the project. The money will be used toward the restoration of the oldest remaining school in Rio Blanco County located on its original site 5.5 miles east of Meeker.