News > Community Impact: Stearns Electric’s Operation Round Up® Program

Community Impact: Stearns Electric’s Operation Round Up® Program

December 22, 2023

$3 MILLION CELEBRATION EVENT
Previous recipients of Operation Round Up® (ORU) funds were invited to join us at Stearns Electric’s St. Joseph Branch Office on November 1 to celebrate the ORU $3 million milestone reached earlier this summer.

Nearly 40 different organizations attended the open house event.

Thank you to all members who round up their monthly electric bills to help support hundreds of worthy organizations annually. Your small change makes a BIG difference!

OPERATION ROUND UP® DISTRIBUTES $74,400 IN NOVEMBER
The Stearns Electric Association Trust Board met on Wednesday, November 1 to award funds through the Cooperative’s Operation Round Up® (ORU) program. They distributed $74,400 to 62 local organizations and charitable causes. This included donations to Central Minnesota’s 19 food shelves and 10 area holiday gift-giving organizations.

Through the ORU program, members of the Cooperative round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar. The rounded-up funds (between 1¢ and 99¢) are placed in a trust fund that is administered by the Trust Board.

Any local non-profit organization or charitable cause can apply for funding. The next deadline is Friday, February 23, 2024.

Visit www.stearnselectric.org/community-impact/community/operation-round-up/ to learn more.

TRUST BOARD NOMINATIONS OPEN IN DISTRICTS 2, 5 AND 9
Nominations for the ORU Trust Board are open for members in Districts 2, 5 and 9. Applications are available for interested individuals on our website, www.stearnselectric.org, and are due Friday, January 12, 2024. Trust Board Directors are elected to serve one, three-year term and can serve two consecutive terms.

Call our ORU staff liaison at (800) 962-0655 during regular business hours with any questions.