Volunteers recently met at the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation offices for an informational session to help them prepare them for when they journey to the Navajo Nation at the end of April to take part in Light Up Navajo VI.
Previous DEMEC volunteers were on hand to share their experiences with the new crew.
Light Up Navajo is an initiative of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, in coordination with the American Public Power Association, to help bring electricity to families in need in the Navajo Nation.
This year the City of Dover, Delaware, added its name to the growing list of DEMEC communities that have volunteered to partner with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority in this project.
City of Newark and City of Dover lineworkers will travel to the Navajo Nation in April.
Light Up Navajo is a mutual aid training project that was launched in 2019 to connect homes under an expedited time frame.
“DEMEC has participated in LUN since its pilot year in 2019 and we are excited to be heading out once again,” said Kimberly Schlichting, President & CEO of DEMEC.
“The project has grabbed the hearts and support of our members and lineworkers such that the momentum of volunteer crews continues to grow. I'm not sure who is blessed more, those receiving electric for the first time or the volunteers who come back changed individuals for having been a part of such a life changing initiative,” she said.
NTUA notes on its website that over 44 outside utility companies traveled to the Navajo Nation in the Spring of 2024 with the goal of connecting the homes of families living without electricity. They joined NTUA electric crews to extend power to at least 150 homes. When the 13-week program concluded, 170 homes were connected.
