Light Up Navajo 

Few people think twice about flipping on a light switch. Yet thousands of families on the Navajo Nation still live without electricity. Each summer, volunteers from public power utilities across the country travel to Arizona to participate in Light Up Navajo, a volunteer effort that brings electricity to homes receiving power for the first time. 

This year, Edmond Electric sent two teams of seven volunteers, each serving one week on the reservation. Edmond Electric team lead Shannon Dodd said the experience keeps bringing crews back year after year. “Edmond Electric has participated for multiple years and finds it very rewarding. We already love line work, but getting to bring power to someone who’s never had it is something completely different.” 

The Navajo Nation spans roughly 27,000 square miles across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, an area about the size of West Virginia. The sheer size of the reservation, combined with the remote location of many homes, makes extending power an enormous undertaking. 

During their most recent trip, Edmond Electric’s seven-person crew helped connect eight homes to the electrical grid. Working alongside Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) crews, they built new power lines to homes that had waited years for service. 

“It’s like working storm restoration,” Dodd said. “Except instead of restoring power, you’re building a new line so families can have electricity for the first time.” For many families, living without electricity means relying on firewood for heat and hauling water long distances. Some homes have small solar systems that provide enough power for essentials like refrigerating medication, but full electrical service remains out of reach. 

While the work is physically demanding, Dodd says the relationships formed along the way leave the biggest impression. Volunteer crews spend the week working alongside NTUA employees, who guide projects and ensure they meet all local and federal standards. At the end of each week, residents whose homes were connected gather with volunteers for an appreciation dinner. Dodd calls the experience “incredibly rewarding.” 

The program has continued to grow since it began in 2019. Electricians now volunteer to complete interior wiring, and many utilities use the experience as hands-on training for apprentice lineworkers while giving back to communities in need. According to the American Public Power Association, this year’s Light Up Navajo initiative aims to connect more than 200 additional homes. 

“It makes you appreciate what we have,” Dodd said. “When you flip a switch at home, you don’t think about it. Then you meet someone who’s waited their whole life for that moment.” 

Learn more at publicpower.org/LightUpNavajo.