An electric cooperative in Florida’s panhandle is starting the new year with a $1.9 million fund to benefit the community’s needy thanks to the immense generosity of a former member.
Muriel “Midge” Drebing willed the money to the Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CHELCO) Foundation, asking that it be used for charities that focus on education, the community and aiding low-income members struggling to pay their electric bills.
CHELCO CEO Steve Rhodes said the co-op will ensure that Drebing’s wishes are fulfilled well into the future.
“CHELCO is grateful to Mrs. Drebing for her profound contribution, which will touch many lives throughout our area for years,” said Rhodes. “Her generosity speaks to the very heart of cooperative values—strengthening our communities and supporting one another.”
CHELCO received notice of Drebing’s gift after her death at age 77 in October 2021. The DeFuniak Springs-based co-op completed its due diligence and, with approval of its board of trustees, invested the funds to earn interest and capital gains that will be applied to community programs.
Based on the fund’s earnings at year’s end, CHELCO will give grants to nonprofits in 2025, said Emily Cowan, CHELCO vice president of member services and external affairs. CHELCO is partnering with United Way Emerald Coast to rigorously vet and distribute money from the fund, she said.
Late last year, the co-op was able to award $67,500 to a dozen 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in CHELCO’s service territory that support critical needs, such as children’s bedding, food and shelter, and $22,500 to agencies that help co-op members pay their electric bills.
A Chicago native and registered nurse, Muriel Drebing and her husband, Jim, who died in 2011, retired to Freeport, Florida, and signed up with CHELCO in 2002 after running a fishing lodge in the Minnesota Northwoods for 20 years. She was active with a local organization, Caring and Sharing, which partners with CHELCO to distribute funds for energy assistance.
“Mrs. Drebing’s vision will allow us to extend support to members and programs that will create meaningful, lasting benefits,” Rhodes said. “We are committed to honoring her legacy with responsibility and care.”
Cathy Cash is a staff writer for NRECA.