Tennessee Lineworkers Bring light to Guatemalan Villages, Including Three from DREMC

by Trent Scott

15 volunteer lineworkers from seven electric cooperatives across Tennessee have returned home after completing a life-changing project to bring electricity to two rural villages in Guatemala.

For 17 days the crew worked in the remote mountain communities of Corral Viejo and La Paz, building nearly eight miles of power line across rugged terrain to connect 28 homes, two schools and a small business to electricity for the first time. The work will allow children to study after dark, families to refrigerate food and store medicine and entrepreneurs to open or expand their businesses.

“It is impossible to fully grasp the impact this project will have on the people of these villages,” said Mike Knotts, CEO of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “Their lives will be forever changed thanks to the service and sacrifice of these volunteer lineworkers.”

The Tennessee team says the greatest impact wasn’t measured in miles of line or number of connections — it was in the relationships formed.

“The work we performed was excruciating at points,” said Chris Miller, a lineworker from Volunteer Energy Cooperative. “but at the end of the day, it was more gratifying than anything I’ve ever accomplished.”

For many residents, it marked the first time they could flip a switch and see their home illuminated.

“I thank God for this blessing that has come to our village,” said Corral Viejo resident Leonel Perez. “I have lived here for 34 years, and I never thought we would see anything like this.”

The work was especially important for one lineworker.

“I was born in Guatemala before I was adopted and brought to the states,” said Micah Hagan, a lineman with Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation. “I was really drawn to doing something for the people here, and it was a special opportunity. I’m thankful I was able to do it.”

The project was part of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International Program, an ongoing effort to extend electric service to underserved areas, reflecting the cooperative principle of Concern for Community — a commitment that extends beyond state or national borders.

“The people in the villages are experiencing something that we experienced in our communities 80 years ago,” said Mike Partin, CEO of Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and president of the NRECA board of directors, “and it will change lives forever.”

The volunteers are excited about the opportunities created by the project and the bond formed with fellow lineworkers from across the state.

“For me to be able to come here and maybe initiate a small spark that might help these communities to grow was an opportunity I really wanted to jump on to,” said Nick Gipson, a line foreman for Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative and team leader for the project. “These were some of the best men that I’ve ever worked with, and I would work with them anywhere in the world.”

In addition to building power lines, Volunteer Energy Cooperative donated 50 pairs of shoes for the children in the villages, while Middle Tennessee Electric, Duck River Electric Membership Corporation, and Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative provided six new laptops for the village schools. These gifts will help students take their first steps into a brighter academic future and give teachers new tools to prepare the next generation.

Tennessee co-ops, along with supply partners United Utility Supply and Gresco, also provided new hardhats, work gloves, rubber gloves and headlamps for the lineworkers at the local Guatemalan utility.

The volunteer lineworkers for the project were Chase McSpadden with Appalachian Electric Cooperative; Micah Hagan, Josh Kennedy and Jake Perry with Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation; Lucas Burke, Chase Cares and Cody McIlwain with Duck River Electric Membership Corporation; Donny Thomas with Gibson Electric Membership Corporation; Manny Bibian, Mike Diggs and Terrence Floyd with Middle Tennessee Electric; Nick Gipson and Danny Walker with Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative; and Chris Miller and Kaleb Waldrop with Volunteer Energy Cooperative. Mike Knotts and Trent Scott with the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and Mike Partin with Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative attended the project inauguration.

The project would not have been possible without the support of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, CoBank, TVA, United Utility Supply and Gresco.

“We especially thank the participating co-ops,” Knotts said. “There’s no other way to say it – lives were changed as a result of their investment and support of this program.”

*Reprinted from Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association