Iowa electric cooperatives shine the light on local volunteers

The Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa are pleased to announce our 2026 Shine the Light contest winners, who each received a $3,000 donation to their local charity.

During the month of June, member-consumers and employees of Iowa's locally owned electric cooperatives were invited to nominate volunteers in their communities who are working to improve quality of life. This was the 6th year of the Shine the Light contest, designed to celebrate our cooperative commitment to community.

83 nominations were submitted from across the state, highlighting the work of many incredible Iowans. 3 winners were selected and are featured in the September issue of Iowa Electric Cooperative Living magazine and on the contest website at www.IowaShineTheLight.com; all of the 2026 nominators and nominees were recognized in the August issue of the magazine.

Congratulations to our 2026 winners:

• Ellen Campbell of Panora was nominated by Luann Waldo, a member-consumer of Guthrie County Rural Electric Cooperative. (photo) Ellen was selected as a 2026 Shine the Light winner for her work with Stitch and Chatter, a quilting club that meets regularly at First Christian Church in Panora. After retiring from Panora Schools in 2015, Ellen volunteered with Stitch and Chatter as a way to bring people together to help others. And the quilting club is working to stitch together a stronger community, one square at a time. Learn more at https://www.panorafcc.org/stitch-and-chatter. Watch a short video of Ellen at https://youtu.be/G6agALUyimw.
  
• Megan Gleeson of West Burlington was nominated by Kathy Wunderlich, a member-consumer and board director of Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative. Megan was selected as a 2026 Shine the Light winner for her efforts with the Rally for Reid Foundation, which she and her husband Bill founded after the tragic death of their son to childhood cancer in 2020. Rally for Reid aims to support other families impacted by childhood cancer while also raising funds for pediatric cancer research. Learn more at https://www.rallyforreid.org/. Watch a short video of Megan at https://youtu.be/5J8p7G-aPsE.
  
• Belinda Seay of Moravia was nominated by 3 member-consumers of Chariton Valley Electric Cooperative: Sharon Cunningham, Pat Merrick and Marnie Starr. Belinda was selected as a 2026 Shine the Light winner for her work with Monroe County Helping Hands, which operates a thrift shop and food bank in Albia. Belinda has volunteered with Helping Hands for 10 years and serves as the clothing supervisor in the thrift store. She was nominated because she cares for others with deep compassion. Learn more about this organization at https://www.facebook.com/p/Monroe-County-Helping-Hands-Inc-100068774418404/. Watch a short video of Belinda at https://youtu.be/iLgsHbKYqp0.

The Shine the Light contest will return next summer to celebrate our cooperative commitment to community; electric cooperative member-consumers and employees are invited to nominate a local volunteer during the month of June at www.IowaShineTheLight.com.

The Shine the Light contest is sponsored by the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa and administered by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.

For More Information:

Erin Campbell
IAEC Director of Communications
[email protected]