Story Contact: Cindy King
Phone: 678-455-1539
E-Mail: cindy.king@sawnee.com

SAWNEE EMC FOUNDATION- OPERATION ROUND UP DONATES $24,664.60 TO LOCAL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

(Cumming, December 1, 2005)— The Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation recently awarded $24,664 to local charities through its Operation Round Up program.  “Since the program’s inception in 2003, the Sawnee Foundation has given back over $127,000 to charitable organizations within the Sawnee EMC territory”, states Blake House, Vice President of Member Services at Sawnee EMC.  “The purpose of the program is to allow our members an avenue to pool together small amounts of money that will ultimately deliver thousands of dollars to charities in their area.”  The program’s success is possible because of the generosity of Sawnee EMC members who willingly allow the Cooperative to round their electricity bill up to the next whole dollar.  Applications from charities for the next gifting are now being accepted.  For more information, call Cindy King at 678-455-1539 or visit Sawnee’s website at www.sawnee.com.

The Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation and the Operation Round Up program began in April 2003.  The Operation Round Up is a program that allows 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.  One hundred percent (100%) of the funds are given to qualifying 501 (c) (3) and 501 (c) (4) charitable organizations within Sawnee’s service territory.   

            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.

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