CARTHAGE, TN 45 employees from Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation’s Carthage District and Corporate Offices cleared brush, built a planter, shoveled mulch, packed food for the needy, and decorated Christmas windows in Smith County as part of the Tennessee Electric Co-op Day of Service on Thursday, Oct. 20 and Friday, Oct. 21.
“This is the first year we’ve participated in this statewide event,” says Jennifer Brogdon, UCEMC’s General Manager and CEO. “The Carthage District office employees and Corporate chose major projects that everyone was excited about. We spread the Day of Service over two days so that everyone would have the opportunity to volunteer.”
One group of volunteers was eager to tackle the landscaping of the Smith County Welcome sign on Gordonsville Highway at 1-40. The group, led by Team Captain Nick Hallums worked quickly to remove weeds, build a planter around the sign, and fill it with landscaping stones, mums, and pampas grass. “We had a blast,” says Hallums, a GIS Specialist at UCEMC. “It was good to work alongside people at the co-op that I don’t get to see on a daily basis.”
Other teams of volunteers worked in shifts at the Smith County Help Center, packing food for the needy. Cases of food generously donated by Todd Scurlock, owner of Sav Way Market, were organized and neatly stacked on shelves. “We’re always ready to help those who live in our community,” says Scurlock. “Our store has been here for more than two decades thanks to them, and we enjoy giving back.” UCEMC volunteers completed dozens of food baskets for distribution.
The volunteers gave the windows at the Help Center an early Christmas makeover. UCEMC Plant accountant and Day of Service Team Organizer Frankie Dickerson shared her holiday decorations for a “Winter Wonderland” display in one window as a Mannequin Tree and a sleigh full of gifts are featured on the opposite side.
“My favorite memory from decorating the window was when a little girl walked in to the Help Center with her Mom,” Frankie explains. “She got wide-eyed and pointed at the Winter Wonderland window and got so excited! That made it all worthwhile for me.”
The Tennessee Electric Co-op Day of Service is coordinated by the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. More than 750 electric co-ops devoted 1,500 volunteer hours to complete 46 local community service projects across the state during this year’s event. In the six-year history of the event, 2,700 employees have volunteered 6,500 hours to complete 153 individual service projects in co-op communities. 
