Small Change Makes a Big Difference in local communities. The new year is off to a great start thanks to the Sawnee EMC members that participate in the Operation Round Up program. Since inception, the Sawnee Foundation has donated over $644,156.11 to local charitable organizations, youth scholarships and Bright Ideas classroom grants and this quarter was no different. On February 24, 2009, the Sawnee Foundation board awarded $29,729 to local charitable organizations and $6,964 to five (5) teachers who had Bright Ideas.
Local charities receiving funds in February were:
Happy Tails Alpharetta PAL
Lumpkin Co. Literacy Coalition ABBA House
Cherokee Child Advocacy Council Special Pops Tennis Program
Cherokee Co. DUI/Drug Court Foundation R.E.A.D of Dawson County
Families of Children Under Stress (FOCUS) Age Well Forsyth
Child Development Association (CDA)
Teachers receiving Bright Ideas classroom grants were:
· Ms. Mary Rainey Cumming Elementary School
· Ms. Edie Keith Kilough Elementary School
· Mr. Mark Fisher Otwell Middle School
· Ms. Brittany Selden Sequoyah High School
· Ms. Ava Sheffield Creekview Elementary School
Each charity and teacher submitted an application to the Sawnee Foundation. All applications are considered by the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation which consists of nine (9) volunteer Board members; one (1) from each of the nine (9) geographical districts within the Sawnee EMC service territory.
Participation in the Operation Round Up program is easy and completely voluntary. Sawnee EMC members can choose to sign up and automatically have their electric bill rounded up to the next dollar each month or they can choose the “round up” option on their bill on a monthly basis. “A member that participates in Operation Round Up will donate an average of $6.00 a year or $12.00 a year if they are on budget billing,” states Cindy Badgett, Director of External Affairs. “The donated funds help out in several ways. The funds can be donated to local charitable organizations, to help teachers expand the learning experience with Bright Ideas, and to fund the Sawnee Foundation Youth Scholarship program. Times are very difficult for everyone, but through the Operation Round Up program, small change can make a really big difference to a lot of people within our communities.”
For more information about the Operation Round Up program, please call Cindy Badgett, Director of External Affairs at 678-455-1539 or email cindy.badgett@sawnee.com. To view a complete list of grant recipients visit www.sawnee.com.
About Sawnee EMC:
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is a distribution electric cooperative headquartered in Cumming, Georgia. Sawnee serves electricity to over 148,000 accounts in seven (7) counties of greater north Georgia. Sawnee’s assets exceed $368 million with annual energy sales of 2.23 billion and revenue of $201 million. With over 300 dedicated employees, Sawnee’s team of professionals meets the needs of its member-owners through its complex network of over 9,420 miles of distribution facilities. Georgia’s 42
