March 16, 2006
Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Donates to Four Local Charites
Cindy Badgett, Director of External Affairs

     On March 13, 2006, the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation awarded $13,237.00 to four (4) local charities. The funds will be used for a host of reasons, all of which will benefit the community they serve. “The purpose of the donations is to award funds to local charities that will in turn use the money for projects that will better serve the community, states Blake House, Vice President of Marketing and Member Services, Sawnee EMC.

       Funds were awarded through an application process. Recipients of the first quarter gifting were: Cherokee County Sheriff’s Foundation, Hall County CERT team, Families of Children Under Stress (FOCUS) and Hall Family Initiative Residences, Inc.

·         Cherokee County Sheriff’s Foundation – Vicki Benefield, Sheriff’s Foundation Board member, accepted a check for $4,237.00. The money received will purchase a tracking devise and five new bracelet kits for Project Lifesaver.

·         Hall County CERT – William Wright, EMA Coordinator, accepted a check for $2,500.00. The money received will purchase a laptop and backpacks for the CERT team. Through the CERT program citizens can prepare for emergencies by getting training in basic first aid and in emergency response skills to help their neighbor in times of crisis.

·         Families of Children Under Stress (FOCUS) – Suzanne Campbell, FOCUS’ Parent Volunteer Coordinator for Forsyth County, accepted a check for $3,500.00 to help fund their Extra Special Saturday Program. FOCUS provides emotional, informational, and physical support to families that have children with disabilities and ongoing medical needs.

·         Hall Family Initiative Residences, Inc – Karen Carroll, Client Services Coordinator, accepted a check for $3,000.00 to purchase food for the group home. The home provides housing for those that are homeless and suffer a chronic mental illness.

 Participating members are contributing pennies, yet are making a great impact on the lives they touch through their generosity. Since the programs inception in 2003, the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation has donated over $140,000.00 , to local charitable organizations. “This program has the ability to reach all of the 501(c)(3) and 501 (c)(4) charitable organizations within our service territory.” stated Cindy King, Director of External Affairs.  We are now accepting applications for the second quarter gifting.

Sawnee EMC adopted Operation Round Up in April 2003.  Through a voluntary sign up process, members are able to have their electric bills rounded up to the next dollar, donating the extra change to the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation.  By donating your change to Operation Round Up, you can be sure that 100% of your donation will go to qualifying 501 (c)(3) or 501 (c)(4) charities within the communities that Sawnee EMC serves.  To sign up today, call Customer Service at 770-887-2363 or sign up by visiting our website at www.sawnee.com. Our website is also a great place to find the complete list of organizations that have received gifts and to access the application for gifting.

About Sawnee EMC:

Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is a distribution electric cooperative headquartered in Cumming, Georgia. Sawnee serves electricity to over 128,000 accounts in greater north Georgia. Sawnee assets exceed $368 million with annual energy sales of 2.23 billion and revenue of $201 M. With over 296 dedicated employees making up a team of professionals that meet the needs of its member-owners through a network of over 8,300 miles of distribution facilities in Sawnee’s complex network of distribution facilities.