Power Pals Pen Pal Program

Big trucks, tough jobs, and cool tools. If you asked an elementary student to describe a lineworker, those might be some of the first things they shout out. But for hundreds of students across Co-Mo Country this spring, there is another word they might use: friend.

This April, Co-Mo Connect launched the Power Pals Pen Pal Program, a new initiative connecting local elementary students with Co-Mo lineworkers. Through letters, books, classroom activities and in-person visits, students had the opportunity to get to know the people behind the hard hats while learning about electric safety, linework, and the cooperative that serves their communities.

As with any new program, there were plenty of unknowns. Would teachers be interested? Would students stay engaged? Would busy lineworkers be willing to take time out of their schedules to write letters?

We decided it was worth finding out!

When sign-ups opened in mid-March, teachers from across our service area quickly enrolled their classrooms, and more than half of Co-Mo's lineworkers volunteered to become Power Pals. What started as a simple idea quickly grew into something special.

In its first year, Power Pals connected 18 Co-Mo lineworkers with 30 classrooms across 14 schools, reaching 442 students throughout Co-Mo Country.

Each participating classroom was paired with a Co-Mo lineworker who served as their Power Pal throughout the program. Students received an introductory letter, wrote back, and continued exchanging letters as the weeks went on.

While lineworkers shared letters, photos and videos, the students got creative in their replies. They sent coloring pages, paintings, videos and pages full of handwritten questions, eager to learn more about their Power Pals and the work they do.

Just a few weeks into the program, severe storms swept across our territory, bringing tornadoes and damaging winds. More than 8,000 members lost power, and Co-Mo's lineworkers spent the weekend restoring service.

The letters that followed showed just how meaningful those new friendships had become.

Mrs. Clements of Tipton Elementary remembers her students' concerns for their Power Pal, Craig Hutchison.

"All of my students wanted to know if Mr. Craig's family was okay after the storms."

At Pilot Grove, each student in Ms. Edwards' first-grade art class painted a picture for their Power Pal, Seth Verhoff, illustrating the storm and writing a message thanking him for working through the dangerous weather to restore power.

These students weren't just learning about lineworkers. They had formed genuine connections with the people restoring power in their own communities.

For many students, the highlight of the program came when they finally met their Power Pal in person. Classroom visits gave students the chance to ask questions, learn about electric safety, see lineworker equipment up close, explore bucket trucks, and connect face-to-face with the person behind the letters.

One especially powerful moment happened while lineworker Jon Luebbert was doing a classroom visit.

Jon stood at the front of the room, preparing to speak while students gathered on the floor around him. Off to the side, one student remained asleep at her desk, completely unaware of the special visitor waiting for her.

Her teacher gently woke her and whispered, "Look who's here."

The student immediately sat up, shouted, "It's Jon!" and ran across the room to give him a hug.

The moment lasted only a few seconds, but it perfectly captured what Power Pals had become. In that instant, Jon wasn't simply a lineworker or a Co-Mo employee. He was someone the students genuinely knew.

Many of Co-Mo's lineworkers experienced similar moments, including lineworker Colin Trollope. While shopping at a local grocery store, Colin ran into one of his students and their parents. The student immediately recognized him and excitedly introduced him to the family. The parents shared that Power Pals had become a regular topic of conversation at home, and their preschooler proudly announced that he wanted to become a lineworker when he grew up.

Another memorable connection came through Line Foreman Kelly Dicus. One of his classes asked about his favorite candy, and Kelly admitted he had a weakness for Hershey's chocolate bars, joking that he ate at least one every day. The students wrote back to tell him Hershey's bars were their favorite too.

Kelly remembered that conversation.

At the end of the program, every student received a Co-Mo goodie bag filled with educational items, including activity books, crayons, books, flashlights, and electric safety games appropriate for their age. For Kelly’s group, he purchased enough full-size Hershey's chocolate bars to include one in every one of his students' bags. It was a small gesture, but one his students will likely remember for years.

Teachers appreciated that the program extended beyond the classroom. Every student received one of Co-Mo Connect’s Cat & Duck and Co-Mo Joe books to take home, giving families another opportunity to learn together.

"I loved that I was able to send home two books with my students that they could enjoy at home,” shared Mrs. Simmons of Versailles Elementary.

We are incredibly grateful to the teachers, students, and lineworkers who helped make Power Pals such a success.

Programs like Power Pals are easy to measure by the numbers, but numbers don't tell the whole story. The real success was found in the hugs, handwritten letters, classroom visits, and simple acts of kindness that turned strangers into role models. It was found in students who now recognize the people restoring their power and, in at least one case, dream of one day joining them.

Power Pals gave students the opportunity to see Co-Mo not just as the cooperative that keeps their lights on, but as neighbors they can know, trust, and look up to.

Years from now, one of those students may climb into a Co-Mo bucket truck wearing a hard hat of their own. If that happens, we hope they remember the lineworker who first inspired them to serve their community. Until then, we look forward to watching many more friendships, and perhaps even a few future lineworkers, grow through the Power Pals Pen Pal Program in the years ahead.