CEO’s Message: Living History

December 2025

As a kid, I remember history was something that could often feel far removed from me. After all, in school, it was mostly a series of facts and dates to memorize. But as I got older, I started to notice how many signs of history are all around me, especially in rural communities like ours.

You don’t need to look any further than the existence of electric cooperatives like this one. The existence of hometown power providers like ours goes back to the end of the Great Depression and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s efforts to lift the country out of it. The Rural Electrification Act was passed as part of the New Deal, and just a year later, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative was born.

One SVEC member, Pat Hines, has been working for years to get recognition for her family’s own piece of local history. Her great-great-great-grandfather, Christmas Hemming, was born into slavery before going on to buy hundreds of acres of farmland in Suwannee County. Last month, the Florida Department of State finally dedicated its Southern Heritage Historical Farm and museum with a historical marker.

You can read more about that journey and the incredible history of Pat’s family in this newsletter. Parts of that story are painful, but her hope is that the history preserved on her family farm can help bring people together. If you’d like to learn more, you can find information on how to schedule your own tour of the farm.

Speaking of great ways to bring people together, the sixth annual Touch-a-Truck event at the SVEC office was a rousing success. Thank you to everyone who came out to learn and explore, as well as to all of the sponsors and organizations that participated. If you missed out on the fun, you can still enjoy pictures of some of the highlights on the back page of this newsletter.

You can also learn more about Rapid Fiber Internet’s new refer-a-friend program. We know many of you are already enjoying the benefits of lightning-fast internet connections with Rapid Fiber. Now, just in time for the Christmas season, you can help give your friends and neighbors the gift of fiber internet, while getting a little stocking stuffer for yourself.

Finally, as we come to the end of the year, I want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for all the people who make this cooperative such a wonderful community. Thank you to the office staff who help our consumer-members each day, the work crews who keep our system reliable and strong, and the Rapid Fiber Internet team who find new ways to serve our region.

And thank you to each of our consumer-members for the support you give us. It is a privilege to serve you and our community each day. Until 2026, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!