Cobb EMC Named EMC Of The Year

MARIETTA, Ga., Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For unprecedented generosity and service to thousands of residents in five metro Atlanta counties, Cobb EMC was recently named EMC of the Year and presented the 2014 Georgia EMC Community Service and Volunteerism Award.

"The contributions by Cobb EMC are so numerous that it's difficult to capture all of them," says Bill Verner, senior vice president of External Affairs with Georgia EMC. "But it's safe to say that at every level in the organization, the responsibility to serve is enormous and contributions reach every corner of the community—whether it's through civic, cultural, educational, humanitarian, or public safety assistance."

According to Verner, Cobb EMC and its employees are major contributors in the exurbs of Atlanta and to the state as a whole, providing leadership in education, school and youth programs, charitable giving and community support.

Cobb EMC was praised for the numerous ways in which they give: community donations, national charities and fundraising, public safety and financial support, all of which benefit hundreds of worthy organizations and causes. In 2014, Cobb EMC donated $365,000 in assistance to nearly 900 families through the Cobb EMC Electric Assistance Fund, and more than $430,000 to 100 nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in its service area through their Operation Round Up program.

A small sample of organizations benefitting from the co-op's donations of time and fundraising include the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Boy Scouts of America, Cobb Library Foundation, Down Syndrome Association, Foster Care Support Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, MUST Ministries, Special Olympics Georgia and United Way, among numerous others.

Nominations for EMC of the Year were reviewed by an independent panel of judges with a solid reputation in statewide volunteer circles. Serving as judges for the second consecutive year were Phil Smith, John Turner and Niki Knox Vanderslice with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

The purpose of the Georgia EMC Community Service and Volunteerism Award is to spotlight the outstanding efforts and initiatives of EMC management, individual directors and employees who are working to build stronger communities.

The Marietta-based cooperative was presented the Award during Georgia EMC's Annual Meeting on Nov. 10 in Savannah. To commemorate the occasion, a donation in the co-op's name will be made to a charity of its choice.

Cobb EMC is a member owned cooperative providing electricity to more than 175,000 residential and commercial members in Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Fulton, and Paulding counties.

Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state's 41 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Through this statewide network, the EMCs provide electricity and related services to more than four million people, nearly half of Georgia's population, across 73 percent of the state's land area.

SOURCE Cobb EMC