Cornucopia of Blessings

Our Thanksgiving cornucopia runneth over with an abundance of blessings, and we are especially grateful.

• It’s our birthday. This issue marks the 77th year of the magazine, which was first published in November of 1946. While our name has changed over the years (Arkansas REA News, Rural Arkansas, Rural Arkansas Living, and finally Arkansas Living) the publication’s mission of educating and entertaining members of the state’s electric cooperatives never has.
• We’re growing. While many publications have seen a decline in circulation, ours continues to grow monthly as our cooperatives do. Mailing more than 420,000 copies to members each month, Arkansas Living has the largest circulation of any publication in the state. We’re on social media (follow us on Facebook and Instagram — we even have recipe videos!), and we’re online. Speaking of which …
• We have a new website. To better serve our members, we recently redesigned arkansaslivingmagazine.com. We wanted to freshen the look while improving functionality; we believe you’ll find it easier to use … and easy on the eyes!
• We have a new look. As we began working on our website, we felt it was time to change our masthead as well. Graphic Designer Dixie Rogers, who produced our previous logo, created our new clean and classic nameplate.
  We hope you’ll feel that these updates enhance and reflect our time-honored brand. And we solemnly promise not to tinker with your favorite features (The Cooperative Difference, Where Is It, Reflections, the recipes, Let’s Eat, etc.)!
• We work with incredible people. A quick share about some truly fine Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas employees. On a hot day after their lunch break, four Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. employees — Cole Gower, Devin Jeffries, Luke McBroom and Justin Skaggs — stopped to help a family with a flat tire. Craighead Electric member Chris Davis called to say he appreciated “the selflessness of them to take their time and get out in the heat and help us to get back on the road.” Davis adds, “They were very considerate,” also offering water to him, his wife and their special-needs daughter.
• We serve an incredible community. And speaking of special needs, don’t miss this month’s heartwarming cover story (page 8) that Associate Editor Nancy Meador wrote about the Sunshine Rodeo, a volunteer-run event in White County, part of First Electric’s service area, for special-needs children. Sharing such positive stories is truly an honor. And speaking of honor, read Jack Schnedler’s page 16 story on Vietnam War memorials in Arkansas.
  (A salute to my own father, William Christman, who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a first lieutenant with the 1/502 Infantry, 101st Airborne Division.)
• We have the best readers. As always, we thank you for your loyalty and engagement. We appreciate you!

Happy Thanksgiving!