Moving on Up Central, Live oak schools excited about their new digs Along these manager’s report LINES By John Vranic Vol. 27, No. 1 August 2012 DeMCo Ceo and General Manager Along These Lines is an official publication of Dixie Electric Membership Corp. It is written for and distributed to members of the cooperative nine times each year. Dixie electric Membership Corp. Better education system is a non-profit rural electric cooperative providing service to 100,000 consumer-owners in seven louisiana parishes. The Cooperative headquarters is located at 16262 Wax Road, Greenwell Springs, makes a better community lA. All comments, suggestions and requests for ducation has been hot news community success follows local information concerning this publication should be addressed to Along These Lines, Dixie Electric over the past few months. support for education, many of the as we play an integral role in the Membership Corp., P.o. Box 15659, Baton Rouge, E From cuts in higher educa- fastest growing communities in the important work being done inside lA 70895, (225) 261-1221. tion to legislative proposals affect- Southeast region – Livingston and those walls to prepare eager students ing primary and secondary schools, Ascension parishes as well as the for the future. Demco BoArD of Directors To conclude on this theme of folks from all quarters have weighed cities of Zachary and Central – can AsceNsioN in on the subject. be found within DEMCO’s service preparation, while construction Clarence Brock Regardless of where you fall on area. The rise in both commercial workers, administrators and students eAst BAtoN rouge the issues, it is inarguable that lo- and residential development experi- have spent considerable effort to steve Irving, Vice President prepare for this new school year, Randy Lorio cal support for the education of our enced by these areas can be attrib- Ann Samuel children is critical to building a suc- uted to a demonstrated commitment we at DEMCO have also been busy eAst feliciANA cessful community. to a stellar public school system. preparing for the heart of the current glenn Delee Any community that bolsters Part of our mission in this pub- hurricane season. Faye Morris liViNgstoN We have been intentional in our its local school system through lication is to emphasize the positive leslie Falks volunteerism, solid leadership and things happening in our service efforts to make sure all the elements Dennis Lott, Sec.-Treasurer adequate funding is sure to be re- area. To that end, we are happy to of our recovery program are ready Danny Berthelot warded with stability, steady growth highlight in these pages some excit- to be activated when necessary. This st. HeleNA includes reviewing our mutual aid Richard Sitman, President and economic prosperity. ing new developments occurring in Joe Self Guided by our founding prin- Central and Watson. We commend agreements and maintaining contact TangipAHoA ciples, we at DEMCO have contin- and congratulate both school sys- with emergency recovery workforce eugene Traylor ued to live up to our commitment to tems as they open new facilities for resources, testing our computer and West feliciANA Freddy Metz support the educational development intermediate and middle school stu- back-up generation systems, check- ceo & geNerAl mANAger of our young people and meet our dents in Central and for high school ing our communication and fuel John Vranic obligation to do everything in our students in Watson. supply lines, and so many other de- Vice presiDeNt of eNgiNeeriNg & operAtioNs power to make our seven-parish When the doors open to begin tails required to respond safely and Ron May service area a better place to live, the school year, students will step effectively on your behalf. Vice presiDeNt of fiNANce work, play and raise a family. into those hallways amid the fresh Visit www.demco.org to find Jimmie Varnado It all begins right here within fragrance of new paint, new furni- valuable storm preparation and re- Vice presiDeNt of our cooperative organization. Not ture and new carpeting to go along sponse tips, energy efficiency and HumAN resources esther Tapia only do we regularly administer with that old familiar scent of El- safety. Go to “News Center” then Vice presiDeNt of a wide range of programs such as mer’s glue and crayons and other “Storm Center” to find other links mArketiNg & memBer serVices academic scholarships, youth leader- school supplies. that may be helpful as the height of Turk Tynes Vice presiDeNt of ship development opportunities and These new facilities stand as tan- the season approaches. system operAtioNs safety demonstrations, but DEMCO gible evidence that the leaders and Whether it is preparing for an- Mike Landry employees also routinely expend citizens in those communities are other school year or preparing for Along These lines (UsPs 004-089) is their personal time, money and willing – even in a tight economy – a storm, we are happy to be part of published monthly except bi-monthly Jan/ other resources in support of local to not just pay lip service to public the day-to-day lives of our mem- Feb, sept/oct, nov/Dec, by the Assn. of education. Many of our more than education but to demonstrate their bers. We believe it is our commit- louisiana Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AleC), 10725 Airline highway, Baton Rouge, lA 220 employees are in the process commitment to their children by ment to serve our communities in 70816-4299 of rearing school-age children and putting resources into their academic so many different ways that sets us mANAger of memBer certainly have a direct interest in the institutions for the benefit of all. apart. It’s a tradition we have upheld AND puBlic relAtioNs success of our schools. DEMCO is also privileged to over the decades and plan to con- David Latona As testament to the notion that provide electricity to these structures tinue well into the future. AssociAte eDitor Billy Gibson Advertising is accepted and published in Along These Lines on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and sold to customers at the advertised price. DeMCo and AleC do not endorse any products or ser- vices advertised herein. Address inquiries to: AleC, 10725 Airline Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70816. Phone (225) 293-3450, 1-800-355-3450. Annual subscription $1.70 members; $5 Non-members Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to: 10725 Airline High- way, Baton Rouge, LA 70816-4299. Periodicals Post- age paid at Baton Rouge, LA. on the cover shown at Central Middle school from bottom/right, clockwise: Rhonda Taylor, elizabeth Wise, Jeremy Wise, Raegan Willis, Jason Fountain, Jeremy o’Banion, sandy Davis. see page 4. Page 2 • Along These lines • August 2012 customer satisfaction survey shows Demco outperforms competing power providers DEMCO recently conducted a to receive a minimum number of sur- member satisfaction survey to assess its veys. This enables your cooperative to performance in providing affordable, make an assessment that can and will reliable electrical power to its consumers carry with it a considerable degree of across seven parishes. validity. With the members’ best interest in The information gathered from the mind, the survey instrument was lim- survey was used to make a comparison ited to less than 10 minutes and was of DEMCO to the American Customer designed to gauge member satisfaction Satisfaction Index as well as a com- with the cooperative. parison to other cooperatives across the A sample of members was chosen country. (Acct. No. 80098314002) randomly to assess their individual satis- The graph at right shows the details faction of DEMCO through the survey, of those findings. which was conducted through a tele- DEMCO is proud to show consisten- phone interview. cy in its customer service even through Each DEMCO district was targeted tough economic times such as this. good habits can help your child stay healthy all school year Back-to-school preparation means more than just sanitizers work, too (unless hands are grubby—then toting a list of classroom items to the store or buying soap is the only way to go), according to the U.S. a new pair of jeans and some sneakers. Consider these Centers for Disease Control. issues before the first bell sounds. Teach your child good handwashing techniques, • You are what you eat - Packing lunch ensures that which include scrubbing the backs of hands, between you control what fuels your child’s body. The National fingers, and under nails, and washing for at least 20 Institutes of Health recommends making lunch a family seconds. activity - kids like to eat what they’ve helped prepare. Handwashing is necessary around mealtimes (both Let your child choose from a variety of easy- for eating and preparing food) and after using the to-pack snacks, like cheese sticks, whole fruits, and bathroom, touching animals, or handling trash. crackers. And if your morning is rushed, try packing Also, instill in your child the necessity of using a lunch in the evening before bedtime. saturated fat, trans fats, and sodium in the foods. tissue when sneezing or coughing (or an elbow or shirt But sometimes packing isn’t always practical, • Wash, wash, wash your hands - Schools are sleeve if tissues aren’t handy), and washing hands after. and school-provided lunches become necessary. In breeding grounds for illness, thanks to myriad shared • Staying safe - Before the start of each school January 2012, the federal government upped standards surfaces and hygiene habits that are still a work in year, have a chat with your kids about safety—from for school meals—the first revision in 15 years—that progress. Handwashing remains the first line of defense walking or driving to school to how to handle a bully.