W-H members donate $58,650 to local organizations

Contributed report

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH) members who participate in Operation Round Up (ORU) donated grants totaling $58,650 in February.

ORU has awarded more than $5.1 million since it began in 1994.

ORU participants allow their electric bills to be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The rounded amount is then used for donations supporting local programs. Approximately 90% of WH’s members participate in the ORU program, contributing a total of almost $20,000 each month. ORU’s board manages the donated money, which is held in a trust fund. Through a selection process and review of guidelines, the ORU trustees evaluate funding requests on a bimonthly basis.

The ORU trust board donated the following on behalf of WH members at their February meeting:

• $25,550, local food shelves.

• $7,500, Angel Foundation, funds for emergency financial assistance for cancer patients.

• $7,500, Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation, funds to provide financial assistance to breast cancer patients.

• $5,000, Can Do Canines, funds to support an assistance dog.

• $5,000, Open Doors for Youth, funds for Connections program for youth experiencing homelessness.

• $2,500, Functional Industries, Inc., funds to support staff with iPads and walkie talkies for improved communications and safety.

• $2,500, Parenting with Grace, Inc., funds to support scholarship fund for supervised visitation and transportation expenses.

• $2,000, Family Voices of MN, funds to support program staff for parent-to-parent peer support.

• $1,300, Monticello Timber Bay, funds for cold weather and gas support for families the organization encounters with needs.

Those interested in ORU funds can learn more about the types of activities ORU supports and find the grant application by visiting bit.ly/WH-ORU, emailing oru@whe.org, or calling Lisa Zipp, ORU Trust Administrator, at (763) 477-6126.

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility that provides power to rural Wright County and western Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen to the area since 1937 and currently serves more than 59,000 electric accounts. It is headquartered in Rockford.