Central Electric Cooperative is awarding more than $16,000 in Operation Round-Up grants to support area projects.

Through Operation Round-Up, participating cooperative members round their monthly electric bill to the next whole dollar. The average member contribution of 50 cents per month rolls into a charitable fund to support local causes. Grants are awarded from the fund twice each year.

In November, the Operation Round-Up board of trustees met and approved the following grant awards:

• $750 – Breaking Bread Ministries of Mitchell for the community Thanksgiving meal

• $2,500 – Buffalo County Rural Fire District for jaws of life equipment

• $2,500 – Community Organized Resources for Educating our Youth for the Freshman Impact Program at Hanson High School

• $1,000 – Davison County Horse Committee for arena upgrades

• $500 – Gann Valley Community Center for building maintenance

• $1,000 – Kimball Rodeo Club for grounds and equipment upgrades

• $500 – Miner County Conservation District for youth projects

• $1,500 – Plankinton Ambulance Association for airway mannequins or radios

• $2,000 – Rosedale Fire Department for a grass fire rig

• $2,100 – The Children’s Ark Daycare of Chamberlain for kitchen upgrades

• $1,000 – Town and Kountry Kid 4-H for a new flagpole in Letcher

• $1,000 – Westlawn Cemetery of Letcher for tree removal

The Operation Round-Up board of trustees includes Julie Dykstra of Stickney, Jill Ekstrum of Kimball, Ellen Speck of Gann Valley, David Jorgenson of Mitchell, LeAnn Moe of Alexandria, Scott Kolousek of Wessington Springs, Connie Hattervig of Carthage, Carla Amick of Letcher and Merl Bechen of Mitchell. The cooperative’s eight-county service area includes Aurora, Brule, Buffalo, Davison, Hanson, Jerauld, Miner and Sanborn Counties.

“Our local communities benefit when we work together,” said Tara Miller, Central Electric’s manager of communications and Operation Round-Up program coordinator. “Each county in our service territory has a trustee that reviews grant applications. This round especially was difficult because funding requests added up to more than five times the amount we had available to give.”

Since 2015, Central Electric Cooperative members have invested more than $146,000 back into their local communities through Operation Round-Up. The funds are awarded to organizations that make a direct impact in the communities of Central Electric members. The next grant application deadline is May 2, 2022. 

For more information, please call Central Electric at 1-800-477-2892 or talk to your local Operation Round-Up trustee.