June 25, 2026: In an isolated village in Guatemala, Joe Zirnheld and 14 fellow volunteer lineworkers from North Carolina relied on brute strength and old-fashioned manual labor to set electricity poles and lift 300-pound transformers into place.
They didn’t have their bucket trucks or other heavy machinery, but that didn’t stop them from building 3 miles of power lines to bring electricity to El Plan Nuevo Amanecer.
“It’s hard to put into words what it felt like to see the lights come on for the first time in a place that had never had electricity,” Zirnheld told WITN.
The 3-week project resulted in providing power to the community’s only health clinic, a school, two churches, and more than 50 homes.
“You realize quickly that this is about more than building power lines—it’s about giving people opportunity, safety, and hope,” added Zirnheld, lead journeyman lineman at Jones-Onslow EMC.
The project was the result of an ongoing partnership between North Carolina electric utilities and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association International Foundation.
The Bright Side
A vital project like this creates new opportunities for a community, from improved safety and sanitation to better education and economic opportunities. These volunteers empowered a village of people they hadn’t previously known.
The children growing up there will have lives completely unlike their parents’ lives. That’s the power of giving.
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