Three local non-profit groups — the Good Samaritan Health Clinic, the Arley Women’s Club and the Addison Ladies Club — received checks totaling $15,000 from the Cullman Electric Cooperative and the CoBank Sharing Success grant program.

Each year, the co-op’s elected leaders budget funds to donate to local non-profit organizations, and apply for a matching grant from the CoBank Sharing Success program. The checks were delivered in July, and representatives from each group attended the co-op’s board meeting in August to say thank you.

CoBank is a national cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states.

The money set aside for the donation comes from revenue Cullman Electric earns through its billing services and not from electricity sales.

The matching grant comes from CoBank’s “Sharing Success” program, an annual $3 million campaign, designed to match the contributions of CoBank customers to the charitable groups they support throughout rural America.

Cullman EC board president Robert Tidwell noted that “Concern for Community” is one of the Seven Cooperative Principles that guide all cooperative businesses.

“The CoBank grant allows us to request money for up to three agencies each year,” Tidwell said. “These groups are serving our community in important and unique ways, and the co-op is glad to help each of them with these donations.”

Good Samaritan Health Clinic provides primary health and wellness care to low-income, uninsured residents of Cullman County in need of a medical home. The clinic, started in 2004, can treat medical, dental, vision and other health service that patients might otherwise delay or avoid seeking because of the cost.

The Arley Women’s Club and Addison Ladies Club provide a wide range of service and support for their communities in Winston County, including support for parks and recreation, college scholarships, local libraries, school programs and much more.

Cullman Electric has participated in the CoBank Sharing Success program every year since it was started in 2012, and the partnership has helped local non-profit agencies receive $95,000.

“We appreciate CoBank’s willingness to invest in our community,” Tidwell said. “Cullman Electric will continue to request grant money for local agencies as long as the program continues.”