OCTOBER 2012

114894

Published monthly for customers of SkyLine Membership Corporation and SkyBest Communications

www.SkyLine.orgwww.SkyBest.com

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WORTH NOTING:

Thursday, October 11Customer

Appreciation DayAll SkyLine Customer

Service Centers

STAFF:Jimmy Blevins

Chief Executive Officer

Kim ShepherdExecutive Director of Customer

Operations

Mandy WallsCustomer Service Manager

Karen P. PowellPublic Relations Administrator

& Editor

Include Your Business inthe Real Yellow Pages™The advertising campaign for Sky-

Line’s regional, consolidated directorywith YP Real Yellow Pages™ is well un-derway. Now through October, repre-sentatives of YP Advertising Solutions,

SkyLine’s authorized Real Yellow Pages sales agent,are visiting and calling on business members across ourservice area to coordinate their advertising for the 2012-13 telephone directory. The new directory, which coversfour North Carolina counties – Alleghany, Ashe, Averyand Watauga – will be delivered to members through theU.S. Postal Service in late December/early January.

To make sure your business is advertised in the RealYellow Pages, contact a YP sales representative by callinglocally in Watauga County or collect (828) 262-3779.

How Not to Get Hooked by a‘Phishing’ Scam

While we included an article in our May newsletterabout phishing, we have since received additional callsfrom our customers regarding emails they have receivedallegedly from a business that appear to be legitimate,and in this case, American Express.

Phishing is a scam, and it involves Internet fraudsterswho send spam or pop-up messages to gain personal information (credit card numbers, bank account informa-tion, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensi-tive information) from unsuspecting victims.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),the nation’s consumer protection agency, phishers sendan email or pop-up message that claims to be from abusiness or organization that you may deal with – for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, onlinepayment service, or even a government agency. Themessage may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “

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October is National Co-op Month2012 is International Year of the Cooperative

Cooperatives across the United States will celebratecooperative enterprise this October. And 2012 also repre-sents the International Year of the Cooperative (IYC). Theslogan for Co-op Month 2012 is the same as that for theInternational Year: “Cooperative Enterprises Build a Bet-ter World.” This slogan conveys the contributions that cooperatives make to social and economic development.

The history behind IYC started on October 18, 2009when the United Nations (UN) General Assembly pro-claimed 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives.The UN resolution, entitled “Cooperatives in Social De-velopment,” recognizes the diversity of the cooperativemovement around the world and commends the cooper-ative business model in achieving economic viability whilecontributing to social and community benefits. In a unanimous vote, the United States Senate adopted theresolution in July 2011.

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Future Leaders Make Their Mark at Co-op Camp and Beyond

The Cooperative Council of North Carolina held itsannual Cooperative Youth Leadership Conference in late June for high school students at the NC FFA Centerat White Lake, NC. Sponsored by cooperatives and agricultural organizations, more than 40 students fromacross North Carolina attended the camp, enjoying aweek by the lake.

Six area high school students were sponsored locallyby SkyLine to attend this year’s conference: Molly An-drews, a junior at Alleghany High School and the daugh-ter of Robert and Pam Andrews of Sparta; Luke Cullifer, asophomore at Ashe County High School and the son ofShea Cullifer of West Jefferson and Samuel Cullifer, Jr.;Chelsea Eller, a senior at Ashe County High School andthe daughter of Doug and Frances Eller of West Jeffer-son; Kelsey Hayes, a junior at Ashe County High Schooland the daughter of Kyle and Joyce Hayes of Crumpler;Makenzie Nelson, a sophomore at Watauga High Schooland the daughter of Keith & Patty Nelsen of Vilas; andTravis Stanley, a senior at Ashe County High School andthe son of Larry and Linda Stanley of Warrensville.

The leadership camp focused on helping studentsbuild leadership skills while learning about cooperatives.Attendees heard several distinguished speakers repre-

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2012 SkyLine Delegation to Co-op CampFront row, left to right: Kelsey Hayes, Chelsea Eller and Molly Andrews.

Second row, left to right: Luke Cullifer, Travis Stanley and Makenzie Nelson.

2012 N.C. Delegation to NICETwo SkyLine-sponsored students were selected to represent North

Carolina at the 2012 NICE Conference at Virginia Tech, and they bothcompeted for the National Youth Scholar Program, with Travis Stanley

being named runner-up. Chelsea Eller is on the left in the front row, andTravis Stanley is second from right in the second row.

Recipe of the Month

Jessie Hill’s Sausage BallsIngredients:1 pound regular sausage1 pound hot sausage1 pound shredded cheese1 small can carnation milk3 cups Bisquick, sifted

Instructions:Mix all together and shapein balls. Bake at 375º untillightly brown.

Recipe submitted by Pat Andrews (Jessie’s daughter) of Sparta

CO-OP CAMP AND BEYOND CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

senting various types of cooperatives. They enjoyeda series of outdoors team building activities by thelake as part of a week-long competition betweengroups. Campers also participated in a special luaudinner and Talent Show, sponsored by the NC Asso-ciation of Electric Cooperatives. Travis Stanley, spon-sored by SkyLine, was recognized for his vocalperformance by winning first place in the talent show.

Along with the usual camp activities, participantsreceived extensive training in the operation of coop-eratives as a form of doing business. They organizeda T-shirt cooperative, sold shirts to fellow campers,and donated the proceeds to the Council’s youthprogram. Luke Cullifer (SkyLine) was elected the Co-op President, with Kristina Hewett (Riegelwood FCU)serving as the General Manager. Travis Stanley andChelsea Eller (SkyLine) served as Co-Chairs for theBoard of Directors.

Six of the campers were selected to attend theNational Institute on Cooperative Education (NICE)at Virginia Tech University in late July/early August,including Chelsea Eller and Travis Stanley. MackenzieNelson was selected as alternate for NICE in theevent one of the other six students was not able toattend. Both Eller and Stanley also were selectedamong the six North Carolina delegates to competein the National Outstanding Youth Scholar Competi-tion while at NICE, with Stanley being named runner-up in the competition. Both Stanley and Eller havebeen invited back to next year’s NICE Conference.

Camp Director Jennie Gentry reports that Sky-Line’s delegation to Camp was an outstanding groupof students. SkyLine is proud to be a local sponsor ofthis program that provides leadership developmentopportunities for area youth and gives them a first-hand look at the unique role of member-owned cooperatives. All students attending camp are noweligible to apply for a $1,000 college scholarship during their senior year of high school.

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL CO-OP MONTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SkyLine was established as a member-owned cooper-ative in 1951, and SkyBest, its wholly-owned subsidiary,was established in 1998, to offer de-regulated services including long distance, Internet and business systemsand services. In subsequent years, additional serviceshave been added including competitive local exchangecarrier (CLEC) services, digital TV services and securitysystems/medical alert.

For many years, SkyLine has supported its communi-ties through varied educational, economic developmentand charitable activities. Whether supporting economicdevelopment or education, the co-op strives to enhancethe quality of life for residents and help our communitiesthrive. This is a tradition that is often echoed by our staffafter regular business hours. In 1997, SkyLine employeesstarted a crisis relief fund that lessens the financial bur-den to families throughout our service area when tragedystrikes. The co-op has also supported economic develop-ment projects in Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga countiesthat provided essential community services or createdjobs for area residents.

In conjunction with Co-op Month, SkyLine will besponsoring Customer Appreciation Day on Thursday, October 11, at all three SkyLine/SkyBest Customer Service Centers in Seven Devils, Sparta and West Jefferson. We hope you’ll plan to drop by that day, andbe sure to register for door prizes and enjoy refresh-ments and giveaways while they last.

Editor’s note: Jessie Hill was a longtimeemployee of SkyLine who continued inher role as a telephone operator afterSkyLine acquired Central Telephone’s

Sparta facilities in the late 1950s. Working later in customer service, Jessie retired in 1985 after 26 years

of service. Jessie is pictured receivingher retirement certificate from then-President Frank James.

Customer Appreciation DayAll SkyLine/SkyBest

Customer Service CentersThursday, October 11, 2012SkyLine/SkyBest mementos whilethey last! Refreshments provided.

PHISHING SCAM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

confirm” your account information. Some phishing emailsthreaten a dire consequence if you don’t respond. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site. But it isn’t. It’s a bogus sitewhose sole purpose is to trick you into divulging your personalinformation so the operators can steal your identity and run upbills or commit crimes in your name.

In the May newsletter, we reported that some of our cus-tomers who received an email allegedly from American Ex-press, saying the company had to make a change to thecustomer’s email address. Rather than respond to the email,the customer called American Express directly and also noti-fied SkyLine about the suspicious email. To verify you have thecorrect phone number for the company, look to the numberon the back of your credit card. If you have an established rela-tionship with a credit card or other related business, that com-pany should not need to contact you by email to verify yourpersonal information.

You can learn other ways to avoid email scams anddeal with deceptive spam by visiting the Federal TradeCommission’s website: ftc.gov/.

2012 Co-op CampHigh school students representing a variety of cooperatives from through-out the state participated in this year’s Co-op Camp at White Lake, N.C.