| November
2006
For Immediate Release
Contact: Vicky Herkenhoff
Position: Communications Specialist
Stearns Electric Association
Phone: 320-259-6601
1-800-448-1737
Fax: 320-259-7099
Stearns Electric Association members making
a difference by way of Operation Round Up®
Nov 17, 2006: Thanks to the
generosity of Stearns Electric Association members, the Stearns
Electric Trust Board recently awarded $39,300 in Operation Round
Up® grants to 61 area organizations. Since its
inception in 1993, the program has awarded over $920,180 to
local charitable organizations and community projects in the
Stearns Electric Association service territory.
Money for the program is
collected from Stearns Electric members, who allow their monthly
electric bills to be rounded up to the next highest dollar. Over
70% of the cooperative's members are participating in the
charitable program. In 2005, each member's donation averaged
$4.73. The donated money is placed in a special trust fund.
Through this charitable giving
program, the following organizations received grants in
November:
Fire Departments -
Freeport Fire Department and St. Martin Fire Department each
received $500.
Emergency Responders - St.
Martin Rescue received $500.
Parks & Lake Associations
- Mound Lake Association and Sauk River Chain of Lakes, Inc.
each received $100.
Sports & Recreation Groups
- Roscoe Recreation Club ($500) and Nordic Ski Club of Central
MN ($250).
Community Organizations -
Holdingford Lioness Club ($500), Kimball Area Historical Society
($500), Osakis Area Heritage Center ($500), Sartell Lions Club
($500), Sauk Centre Area Historical Society ($500), Christie
House Museum ($300), Community Action and Prevention Program
($250), Great Northern Theatre Company ($250) and IMPACT ($250).
Senior Programs - Albany
Area Community Senior Center ($500), Albany Senior Dining/Meals
on Wheel's ($500), Helping Hands Outreach to Elders ($500), Sauk
Centre Senior Dining/Meals on Wheel's ($500), AARP Tax
Counseling for Elderly ($300) and St. Cloud Area Fun Singers
($250).
Food Shelves - Albany Food
Shelf, Brooten-Belgrade-Elrosa Food Shelf, Caritas Family
Services, Good News Food Shelf, Eden Valley Food Shelf,
Holdingford Food Shelf, Kimball Food Shelf, Long Prairie
Emergency Food Pantry, Melrose Area Food Shelf, Morrision County
Food Shelf, Outrech Food Shelf, Paynesville Community Services,
Hearts and Hands Food Shelf, St. Benedict's Food Shelf, St.
Joseph Community Food Shelf, St. Stephan Food Shelf, SE Central
Stearns County Food Shelf, Sauk Centre Food Shelf. Each food
shelf received $1,000.
Health Groups- Camphill
Village Minnesota ($1,000), St. Michael's Hospice ($1,000),
Shriners Children's Hospital ($1,000) and St. Gabriel's
Hospital-Lifeline Program ($750).
Individuals- Two
individuals each received $500.
Youth Programs - Central
MN Council Boy Scouts ($500), Girl Scout Troop #894 ($500) and
Catholic Charities-St. Cloud Children's Home ($500).
Miscellaneous - Christmas
Care Drive ($1,000), Project Give-A-Gift ($1,000), Toys for Tots
($1,000), Melrose Transportation Committee ($1,000), Freeport
Family Fishing Committee ($500), Oak Hill Cemetary Association
($500), Central MN Blind Association ($250), Cold Spring Area
Maennerchor ($250), Community Legacies ($250), Eden
Valley-Watkins FFA ($250), Long Prairie- Grey Eagle Parent
Teacher Organization ($250) and Young Parent Program ($250).
The Stearns Electric Association
Trust Board, a group of citizens that operates independently of
the Cooperative, administers the trust fund. The Trust Board
evaluates all funding requests and decides how to distribute the
funds.
Members who choose not to take
part in Operation Round Up, may withdraw by simply notifying the
Cooperative of their decision at any point. Feel free to call
the office at (320) 259-6601 or (800) 448-1737.
Operation Round Up®
is an ongoing program. The deadline for the next round of
funding is March 5, 2007. Application forms are available by
calling Stearns Electric at (320) 259-6601 or (800) 448-1737 or
can be downloaded at www.stearnselectric.org. Grants will be
awarded only one time per year for any organization.
Stearns Electric
Association is a Touchstone Energy® electric
cooperative providing electricity to over 23,000 members in
parts of the following counties: Stearns, Todd, Morrison,
Kandiyohi, Pope and Douglas. In addition to the headquarters in
Melrose, the Cooperative operates a district office in St.
Cloud.
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