For more information contact:
Whitney Ditlevson, Communications and Marketing Supervisor
wditlevson@stearnselectric.org
(800) 962-0655 | direct (320) 433-4895

Melrose, Minn. – Stearns Electric’s Operation Round Up® Program achieved a major milestone in 2020 by
awarding a grand total of over $2.5 million in grants for organizations throughout Central Minnesota over
the past 27 years.

Since the program’s inception in 1993, Operation Round Up® (ORU) and Stearns Electric members have
awarded $2.55 million to 4,867 local non-profit organizations and community service programs.

Through the Operation Round Up® program, Stearns Electric Association gives its member-consumers the
opportunity to give back to the community by rounding up their electric bill to the nearest dollar. The
rounded-up funds, no more than $11.88 per year, per member, are placed in a trust fund that is
administered by the Stearns Electric Association Trust Board. The Trust Board is appointed by the
Cooperative’s elected Board of Directors.

Trust Board Directors met on July 15 to review applications and funding requests. Forty-three
organizations were selected to receive funds totaling between $250 to $2,000 in this round of
contributions. A total of $28,500 was awarded in July.

Operation Round Up® funds have been used to help youth and senior organizations, food shelves,
community organizations, scholarships, environmental projects, park and lake associations, health
groups, emergency responders and more.

The following organizations received funding in July 2020:

American Legion Auxiliary – St. Joseph
Belgrade Police Department

BIO Girls
Boy Scouts of America – Individual Eagle Scout Project
Broken Roads Ranch
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud
Dakota County Technical College – Rosemount
Eden Valley Area Library
Fare for All
Flensburg Fire Relief Association
Freeport Community Care – Service Corporation
Freeport Family Fishing
Freeport Senior Center
Friends of Career Solutions
Keller Family Community Foundation
Knights of Columbus 5548 Auxiliary
Lake Henry Fire and Rescue
Midwest Outdoors Unlimited
Minnesota State Community and Technical College – Wadena
Minnesota West Community and Technical College – Jackson
Mound Lake Association
Osakis High School Trap Team
Randall Fire Department
Relay for Life – Western Stearns County – Sauk Centre
Ridgewater College – Willmar
Rockville Fire and Rescue
Sartell – St. Stephen Education Foundation
Sauk Centre American Legion Club
Sauk Centre Conservation Club
Sauk Centre Youth Baseball Association
Sauk Rapids Fire Department
Second Chance Animal Care
Sinclair Lewis Foundation
St. Cloud Technical and Community College
St. Nicholas Athletic Association
St. Paul’s Unity Lutheran / Unity Cemetery Fund
St. Stephen American Legion Post 221
Stearns County 4H Horse Club
Todd County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Program
Todd Wadena Community Corrections
Veterans National Living Memorial
WACOSA
West Central Minnesota Communities Action

Visit stearnselectric.org for more information on the Stearns Electric Operation Round Up® Program.