Community

Operation Round Up - With Operation Round Up, your spare change can help to make a tremendous difference in the lives of those who need help within our community. Help us to help others by participating in our Operation Round Up program.

Career Development Event (formerly called FFA Wiring Contest) – FFA youth travel to district venues to compete in a contest that tests their skills and knowledge of electrical wiring. Winners at the district level move on to state competition.

Couples Conference – Each year a husband and wife are chosen by Rayle EMC to attend a conference where they meet with other couples from EMCs around the state to learn about cooperatives so they may take what they learn back to their communities.

Farm Safety Day Camp – Rayle EMC participates in three of these camps each year, the Wilkes-Lincoln County Farm Safety Day Camp, Greene County Ag Day, and Oglethorpe County Ag Day. At these camps, children from five to eleven years of age are taught what dangers there are around the farm, how to identify unsafe conditions, and what to do to be safe. Topics covered range from high-voltage power lines to tractor safety.

Washington Youth Tour – Each year, Rayle EMC sponsors high school students to participate in the Washington Youth Tour. This top-notch leadership experience and tour of Washington, D.C. includes meetings with state and national leaders and leadership training, as well as visits to all the major sights. Participants join over 1,400 other students from around the nation – all expenses paid – for one incredible week in our nation’s capital.

Washington Area Steer Show – Rayle EMC participates in this worthwhile endeavor by purchasing a steer raised by FFA and 4-H youth.

Walter Harrison Scholarship – Each year Georgia Electric Membership Corporation awards several academic scholarships to deserving, hard-working high school seniors. The scholarships are awarded in honor of Walter Harrison, an early leader of the electric cooperative movement in Georgia. Students from each electric co-op submit applications and an essay, which is judged by an impartial panel. The statewide winners are announced in April.

Rayle EMC Scholarships – Each year, Rayle EMC awards seven $1,000.00 scholarships (one from each district of the co-op’s territory and two at large). Applicants write an essay which is judged by an independent judge and winners are announced in April.

Rayle EMC Lineman of the Week – Each week during the high school football season, Rayle EMC selects a football lineman whose superior athleticism on the gridiron is worthy of special mention. A certificate with the player’s name and school is awarded to the athlete, and his achievement is written up in the local newspaper and broadcast on the radio.

The Georgia Cooperative Youth Conference – Rayle EMC sponsors three high-school students each year to this weeklong event held in Covington. Attendees are nominated by a local cooperative, county extension agent, agricultural education instructor, or home economics teacher. Those selected to attend will be educated on the cooperative way of doing business and provided with ample opportunities to display and sharpen their leadership abilities. Rayle EMC pays the registration fees for this affair and has received rave reviews from recent attendees.

High Voltage Safety Demonstration – Thousands of students in our service territory have been treated to this safety demo over the years, which is a mockup of a real high-voltage power line. The demo plugs into a regular wall socket, and by the use of a transformer, the voltage is stepped up to 14,400 volts, the same voltage traveling in the power lines on your street or road. The students are shown what happens when a kite string touches a power line, the danger involved if they come across a downed power line, or the results of a metal ladder coming in contact with the high voltage electrical lines right outside their own homes. They are taught to always be aware of their surroundings and to recognize danger when they see it.