Bemidji Area Reading Canines (BARC) Named Beltrami Electric's Touchstone Energy® Community Award Winner

Bemidji, Minn. - Beltrami Electric Cooperative has selected Bemidji Area Reading Canines (BARC) the winner of the local 2014 Touchstone Energy® Community Award from a great pool of worthy nominations. The recognition comes with a $500 cash award donated to a community service organization/project of their choice and an engraved Touchstone Energy® Community Award plaque signifying the organization's commitment to community.

The Bemidji Area Reading Canines program was created to help school-aged children feel comfortable reading aloud to a nonjudgmental audience, which in this case are well-trained therapy dogs. The students are encouraged to read to the dogs, while they lie next to them and provide comfort and companionship, in what could be an otherwise nervous atmosphere for some children. There are currently 20 teams, six which feature leaders who are former teachers, who volunteer their time to visit local schools, libraries and youth clubs with the goal of promoting reading. The program started in 2007, impacting thousands of students around the area since its inception.

In its 11th year, the Touchstone Energy® Community Award recognizes individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to their community. Past winners include Blackduck Area Toys for Kids, Bemidji Area Take a Kid Fishing, Kelliher Resource Center Committee, Bemidji Skate & Bike Association, Bemidji Garden Club (formerly Northwoods Garden Club of the Bemidji Area), Paul Bunyan Broadcasting's "Radiothon to End Child Abuse," Healthy Community Healthy Kids, Blackduck Tri Sigma General Federated Women's Club, Sexual Assault Program of the Beltrami, Cass and Hubbard Counties, and the Bemidji Area Task Force on Underage Drinking, Illegal Drug Use and Gang Activity.

Bemidji Area Reading Canine's application will be submitted for consideration to the statewide Minnesota Touchstone Energy® Community Award committee. The statewide award recipient will be selected from numerous local award winners throughout Minnesota and the overall winner will receive $1,000 toward a community cause of choice. It will be presented in February 2015 during the Minnesota Rural Electric Association's annual meeting in St. Paul.

Beltrami Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative located in Bemidji, Minn. Established in 1940, Beltrami Electric provides power to approximately 17,000 member-owners within a 3,000 square mile service area located in the lakes region of north-central Minnesota.