Story Contact: Cindy King

Phone: 678-455-1539

E-Mail: cindy.king@sawnee.com

SAWNEE EMC OPERATION ROUND UP DONATES $800 TO THE NORTHEAST GEORGIA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

(Cumming, May 9, 2005)— “Committed to helping people in times of disaster.” The American Red Cross was built on this concept just as the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation and Operation Round Up was created out of the desire to help the communities we serve. The Operation Round Up program was designed to give our members an avenue to help their neighbors in need. In April, four families lost all of their belongings due to fire; and Operation Round Up participants came through to lend a hand. Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation Board of Directors voted to donate $800.00 to the American Red Cross to provide relief efforts to these families. “The American Red Cross and the Sawnee EMC Foundation are committed to helping our neighbors in recapturing their way of life prior to such a traumatic event,” states Andy Thompson, Director of Community Services, American Red Cross.
 

         Sawnee EMC adopted Operation Round Up in April 2003 and formed the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation.  Operation Round Up is a program designed to allow our members to voluntarily “round up” their electric bills to the next dollar. Through this unique program, members of Sawnee EMC can donate “small change” and still make big differences in their communities. All, 100%, of members’ donations goes to qualifying 501 (c)(3) and 501 (c) (4) organizations within Sawnee’s service territory.   “We began “rounding up” bills in June of 2003 and, through the generosity of our members, we have donated over $45,000 in the Foundations first year”, stated Cindy King, Director of External Affairs, Sawnee EMC.  To learn more about the Operation Round Up program and the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation, visit www.sawnee.com or call Customer Service at 770-887-2363. To learn more about the American Red Cross, visit www.negaredcross.org.
 

            Sawnee EMC is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 128,000 members in Forsyth, Cherokee, Dawson, Hall, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Lumpkin counties. Collectively, Georgia’s 42 customer-owned EMCs provide electricity and related services to 3.7 million people, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73% of the state’s land area. Georgia’s electric membership cooperatives now serve more customers than any other state network of EMCs in the nation.

###