BARC Electric Cooperative has announced that it is donating a total of $20,000 to local public school systems in Bath, Rockbridge and Alleghany counties. Funds will be used for educational programs needing additional resources to advance opportunities for students.

BARC remains committed to its local school systems as part of the cooperative’s community commitment focusing on support of educational programs to develop a strong workforce pipeline for the region.

In addition to providing financial aid, BARC hosts students at its solar learning center, and the cooperative maintains a paid internship program for high school students.

Each school system will receive a total of $6,000 to $8,000. BARC utilized matching funds from CoBank’s Sharing Success program to make these donations possible. BARC is delighted to have continuing opportunities to partner with local schools to promote educational programs to benefit students and the community.

“As a cooperative that serves the community, and is comprised of people raised in the community, there is no more valuable investment this organization can make than in supporting education in our local schools. BARC’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve and education is a top priority towards that mission. We are fortunate to have access to the CoBank program, and to be in a financial position to be able to make these donations,” said Mike Keyser, BARC’s CEO.

—Report by Tish Blackwell, Director of Communications, BARC Electric Cooperative