Operation Round Up giving back to community

Thanks to Central Electric’s Operation Round Up program, powered by donations from Central Electric members, several nonprofits are benefiting from grant funding. Over $27,000 is being put back into the surrounding communities to provide assistance for worthy projects that provide vital service needs. Grants were awarded to the following groups:

  1. Chatham Housing Initiatives, Inc. – Funded $3,000 to help support the Building Family Strengths Program, an educational program that empowers families to use their existing strengths to cope with challenges of today’s society.
  2. Chatham Outreach Alliance – Funded $3,000 for the SNACK! program that increases the availability of nutritious food to children in Chatham County during summer break.
  3. Communities in Schools (Chatham) – Funded $3,000 to grow capacity to serve students with complex social-emotional needs and learning differences who are at highest risk for academic under-achievement.
  4. Faces of Chatham County – Funded $2,000 to help pay for summer camp scholarships for children in Chatham County who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend.
  5. Family Promise of Lee County, Inc. – Funded $3,000 to help cover expenses associated with vehicles to transport families to appointments, work and school.
  6. Helping Hands Clinic (Lee) – Funded $3,000 to provide medication to patients.
  7. Hispanic Liaison of Chatham County – Funded $3,000 for the Community Support for Hispanic Families program that offers individualized assistance, case management, problem solving, information and referrals for Hispanic families in Chatham and Lee counties.
  8. Lee County High School FFA– Funded $2,970 to help cover costs associated with sending members to FFA Camp.
  9. Sanford Job Express (Lee) – Funded $1,627 to pay automobile insurance premium for vehicles used to transport clients to work and interviews.
  10. West Chatham Food Pantry – Funded $3,000 to purchase food for the pantry.

“Operation Round Up shows the power of small donations made by a large group of individuals,” said Nancy Gust, Central Electric Member Care Trust Administrator. “Central Electric’s members have truly made a tremendous impact on our local communities by donating as little as 1 cent and at most 99 cents each month. Since 2013, these small donations have resulted in over $480,000 in grants being awarded to organizations throughout the community, showing how much our members really care about making a difference.”

Operation Round Up is a volunteer program in which Central Electric members can choose to “round up” their electric bill to the next whole dollar each month. Voluntary contributions are made to the Central Electric Member Care Trust and grants are awarded for worthy projects by the Member Care Trust Board of Directors. Applications for 2018 third-quarter grant opportunities must be submitted by Aug. 1. Grant recipients will be announced following the board meeting on Aug. 16. For more information on Central Electric’s Operation Round Up program, visit the “Community” tab at CEMCPower.com.