Rural Missouri - March 2021 - 15

It was a group effort. Barry Electric and goBEC provided
and installed new poles, raised the electric lines and ran
the fiber cables across the river to the pair of cameras,
which were provided by Missouri Parks, Inc. The cameras
wouldn't be possible without the service from goBEC and
help the area by luring in those looking to catch that perfect trout or just take a tranquil hike. The livestream can
be viewed at youtu.be/zBacEG_cTVw.
Another goBEC endeavor was developed in response to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
" We live in an impoverished area where a lot of people
might not have Wi-Fi or internet service at home, " Laura
says. " So we got with some schools last spring and asked
how we could help. "
They installed Wi-Fi hotspots in the parking lots of a trio
of schools giving students a safe place to come and download files or do their online schoolwork. They also paired
with Ozarks Area Community Action Corp. during the pandemic to help expand internet access to those in need.
" We were able to develop a rate that is lower than our
standard rate, " Laura says. " Recipients have to go through
a qualification process with OACAC so we could make sure
those who needed it most could get it. "
Another COVID-19 program sent $1,000 each to four
different schools that were having trouble adjusting to the
pandemic. The money was used to purchase sanitizing
equipment and supplies to use before students returned.

The funds were made possible from the Sharing Success charitable giving program offered through CoBank,
a Denver-based cooperative bank serving rural industries
across the country. CoBank matched the $500 Barry Electric contributed to the schools.
Barry Electric had just put the finishing touches on a
new live line trailer they will take to area schools when the
pandemic hit. The trailer isn't high-voltage, but " gets the
point across " in teaching how electricity works and the importance of treating electricity with respect and being safe.
They have been able to show off the trailer to emergency
first responders, but hope to show it to local students as
soon as it's safely possible.
Laura says their focus on the cooperative principle
Concern for Community is about them doing what they
can - both big and small - to keep their communities a
tightknit group.
" Most of our employees are members and live here, " she
says. " When people that we know see us lending a hand
and trying to help where we can, they kind of feed off that
and say, 'If Barry Electric can do that, then maybe our
business can step up too.' We pride ourselves on giving
that small-town quality customer service and want to keep
our community great. "
For more information on Barry Electric and goBEC Fiber's
programs, visit www.barryelectric.com.

photos courtesy Barry Electric Cooperative

Top left: Crews from Barry Electric Cooperative and goBEC Fiber raise a pole at Roaring River State Park that now provides electricity and fiber
internet to a pair of cameras that livestream the Roaring River on the park's website. Bottom left: The Barry Electric chili cooking team gathers
around the pot at the annual Cassville Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-Off. The employees participate every October and have brought home
the first-place prize a few times. Middle: Gary Mitchell stirs the 5-gallon pot of chili over an open flame. Right: Barry Electric donates the equipment and time to hang snowflakes around Cassville every holiday season.
MARCH 2021 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP

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http://youtu.be/zBacEG_cTVw http://www.barryelectric.com http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Rural Missouri - March 2021

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