(Cumming, Georgia, August 21, 2018) – Local non-profits are busier than ever helping residents in our community with rent, clothing, food and educational resources. This is possible because of generous donations from people like the Sawnee EMC members who participate in the Cooperative’s Operation Round-Up Program. They voluntarily round up their Sawnee bill, donating the extra change to the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation (Foundation), to enrich the lives of others.
Through its Operation Round Up program, the Foundation recently awarded $17,700.00 to five (5) local charities and another $15,423.07 to thirteen (13) schools. The local charitable organizations receiving funds are:
1. ConnectAbility – funds used to purchase a portable AED
2. The Marcus E. & Sharon B. Gunter Foundation – will use their grant to purchase food to distribute to Forsyth County families in need
3. Forsyth County Lions Charities, Inc. – will use their grant to assist Forsyth residents in need of eye exams, glasses and hearing aids
4. Reaping Nature Educational Outreach Foundation, Inc. – will use their grant to purchase books and educational materials
5. Variety – the Children’s Charity of Georgia – will use their grant to install a van lift for a child with Spina Bifida.
The “Bright Ideas” classroom grants were awarded to:
1. Cumming Elementary: Stacy Lemons and Amalina Hernandez
2. Desana Middle: Jessica Strader
3. Freehome Elementary: Carmen Power
4. Alliance Academy for Innovation: Nick Crowder
5. Black’s Mill Elementary: Angela Sparks
6. West Forsyth High: Michael Yeager
7. Whitlow Elementary: Michelle Reynolds, Michelle Rowand, Kathy Brott, Tara Mullen, and Amanda Meadows
8. Liberty Middle - Katie Jenkins
Interested applicants are required to submit an application to the Foundation Board for consideration. In order to qualify for a grant, the 501 (c) (3) charity must be located in Sawnee EMC’s service area and/or provide services within the area. Teachers may also apply for funds through the Bright Ideas program, which is part of Operation Round Up. A public or private teacher is eligible to apply for funding as long as the school he or she teaches is within the Sawnee EMC service area.
These programs are made possible by the generous Sawnee EMC members who choose to round their monthly electric bill up to the next highest dollar. This “extra change” goes directly into the Sawnee Foundation and is gifted back into the communities Sawnee EMC serves. The average donation a member makes annually is $6.00… just pennies a month. These “small” donations have allowed the Foundation Board to donate over $2.5 Million back into the communities since inception in 2003.
High School seniors should also be on the lookout for the 2019 Youth Scholarship Application, located on the Sawnee EMC website now!
For more information about the Operation Round Up program, please call Cindy Badgett, Director of External Affairs at 678-455-1399 or email cindy.badgett@sawnee.com.
About Sawnee EMC
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is an electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Cumming, Georgia. Sawnee serves electricity to approximately 178,800 accounts in seven (7) counties of greater north Georgia. Sawnee’s assets exceed $642 million, with energy sales of 3.37 billion kWh and annual revenue of $313 million. With a team of approximately 330 dedicated professionals and over 10,896 miles of distribution line, Sawnee stands ready at all times to meet the needs of its members/owners. SEMC strives daily to live up to their motto…
About the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation
The mission of the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation (Foundation) is to assist in strengthening the communities served by Sawnee EMC. The Foundation will accomplish this mission by providing financial assistance to selected charitable organizations through the Foundation’s Operation Round Up program. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $2.5 million back to our communities.
“At Sawnee EMC, We’re More Than Electricity, We’re Service”.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.