Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative, in partnership with lending partner CoBank, has contributed $5,000 to a project that will create a veterans park in Munford.
A local nonprofit group is building the park to honor the 428 U.S. military veterans known to hail from the Munford area. Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative’s board of trustees approved a $2,500 donation to the project in August, which allowed the cooperative to secure a matching grant through CoBank’s Sharing Success program.
CoBank, part of the U.S. Farm Credit System, provides financial services to electric cooperatives, rural public utility systems, agribusinesses and other similar entities. It began Sharing Success in 2012 and has facilitated $76 million in donations through the program.
“Without the bravery and dedication of the U.S. veteran, our nation would not exist or would at least look drastically different,” says CVEC General Manager Jon Cullimore, a U.S. Army veteran. “To help the citizens of Munford honor those who sacrificed time away from families, health and even their lives is a worthy project. CVEC is proud to contribute to the creation of this park.”
The park will be located at the intersection of Lions Road and Main Street near the old Munford High School. The Town of Munford donated a tract of land, which has been graded ahead of pending construction.
The park will feature two large granite monuments: one engraved with the names of the local veterans and the other with the emblems of each branch of the U.S. military. The monuments have been ordered, and the nonprofit group “Munford Veterans Park” continues to raise funds to complete the park’s construction.
CVEC routinely supports projects and organizations that benefit the communities they serve.
In charitable donations alone, CVEC contributed more than $26,000 to 65 different organizations in 2022. Additionally, the cooperative sponsors several scholarships each year, conducts blood drives and participates in other service projects.
“Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative was founded in 1939 by locals who dreamed of a better life for their hometowns,” says Jeremy Wise, CVEC manager of marketing and member services. “Supporting a variety of community projects honors that legacy and strengthens those same communities. We are proud to be an active participant in creating a better Coosa Valley region.”