Operation Round Up grants boosting local non-profits

Jun 12 2019

Debbie Puryear, Executive Director, accepts a grant check for $2,000 on behalf of the Reach Out Crisis Pregnancy Center. The grant funds will be used to help provide education, literature and resources for clients.
Debbie Puryear, Executive Director, accepts a grant check for $2,000 on behalf of the Reach Out Crisis Pregnancy Center. The grant funds will be used to help provide education, literature and resources for clients.

Thanks to Central Electric’s Operation Round Up program, powered by donations from Central Electric members, several nonprofits are benefiting from grant funding. This quarter over $26,000 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 CARES Community Pharmacy – Funded $2,000 to purchase medication to be provided free of charge to eligible residents of Chatham County.
  2. Chatham Central High School PTSA-FBLA – Funded $1,330 to attend and compete at the National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
  3. Chatham Council on Aging – Funded $2,000 to provide a ramp and stairs from the porch to the sidewalk at the Pittsboro senior center.
  4. Chatham Outreach Alliance – Funded $2,000 to help support the SNACK! Program which provides meals to qualifying students while they are on summer break.
  5. Community in Schools of Chatham County – Funded $2,000 to help fund the CIS Model program at BonLee School, which helps address the various needs of students.
  6. Faces of Chatham County – Funded $1,330 to help pay for summer camps for children of Chatham County who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend a summer camp.
  7. Family Promise of Lee County – Funded $2,000 to cover the cost of fuel and maintenance for 15 passenger vans used to transport families in the program.
  8. Helping Hand Clinic (Lee) – Funded $2,000 to help replace the telephone system, computers and triage equipment in the clinic.
  9. Johnsonville Community Center (Harnett) – Funded $2,000 to help replace the roof at the center.
  10. Lee County 4-H – Funded $290 to purchase electric kits for summer camp participants.
  11. Lee County High School Special Education Program – Funded $2,000 to fund and promote the Occupational Training program.
  12. Project Graduation 2019 (Chatham) – Funded $2,000 to help provide entertainment for a safe graduation celebration for students.
  13. Reach Out Crisis Pregnancy Center (Lee) – Funded $2,000 for education, literature and resources for clients.
  14. Southern Lee High School FFA – Funded $2,000 to purchase feed, bedding and enrichment supplies for animals used in the program.
  15. West Chatham Caring Community – Funded $2,000 to help purchase supplies for the food pantry.

 “The Central Electric members provide a great service to our local communities through their generous donations to the Operation Round Up program,” said Nancy Gust, Central Electric Member Care Trust Administrator. “A few extras cents from a large group of people really does make a big impact and it has shown over the last two and half years through the amount of grants provided through the program.”

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 2019 third-quarter grant opportunities must be submitted by July 15. Grant recipients will be announced following the board meeting on August 15. For more information on Central Electric’s Operation Round Up program, visit the “Community” tab at CEMCPower.com.