Neighbors helping neighbors is what Operation Round Up is all about and donating pennies each month has proven to offer huge benefits.

Since inception, the Sawnee Foundation has donated more than $938,000 to local charitable organizations, youth scholarships and Bright Ideas classroom grants.

Of the total, $734,191.59 has gone to charitable organizations, $126,000 has gone to youth scholarships and $77,893.98 has been donated to teachers in our communities for classroom grants through the Bright Ideas program.

This quarter was no different. On Aug. 24, the Sawnee Foundation board awarded $24,897.76 to six local charitable organizations.

Local charities receiving funds in August were:

Canine Assistants, North Metro Miracle League, No One Alone, Child Development Association, St. Vincent de Paul - Dawson and Special Populations Tennis.

Each charity submitted an application to the Sawnee Foundation. All applications are considered by the Sawnee Electric Membership Foundation, made up of nine volunteer board members; one from each of the nine geographical districts within the Sawnee EMC service territory.

The foundation board also awarded six Bright Ideas grants totaling $8,127.17 to local teachers.

The Bright Ideas grants went to:

Kilough Elementary, Edie Keith; Shiloh Point Elementary, Jeff Gentry; Hillside Elementary, Meagan Eastman; Black’s Mill Elementary, Sarah Pruitt; Little Mill Middle School, Tracey Heffelfinger and Crossroads Second Chance North, Kirk Pfrangle.

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 a year or $12 a year if they are on budget billing,” said 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,” she added.

For more information about the Operation Round Up program, call Badgett at (678) 455-1539 or e-mail cindy.badgett@sawnee.com.