Sioux Valley Energy and its members are investing in local communities by giving a boost to groups and organizations. During the most recent quarterly meeting of the Sioux Valley Energy Customers’ Trust Board of Directors, $35,899 in grants were awarded by the Cooperative’s Operation Round Up® program. An additional $5,000 was reserved for scholarships.
Recipients included:
Brandon, South Dakota
Buddies & Co – $1,000 to purchase a freezer to use in their shop – this will help them to expand their business by selling individual and family size freezer meals
Brandon Tennis Association – $500 to reduce registration fees, provide summer lessons for children 5-14, t-shirts for all participants, and scholarships for families in need
Brookings, South Dakota
Mickelson Middle School – $800 to purchase 8-10 digital microscopes that can be used for the 6th grade science classroom, these will help to enhance several units, with a primary focus on the rocks and minerals units
Special Education Transition Program Housed at Hillcrest Elementary – $500 to provide real-life opportunities as they develop these essential skills
STARS – $800 to expand tools for obstacle courses to ride through, along with rubber mats to provide safe and stable walkways to the program areas
National Inventors Hall of Fame – $1,000 for full camp registration for 10 local low-income children
South Dakota Youth Foundation, Inc – $750 to support comprehensive review and update of the Healthy Youth curriculum done in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Dietetics program
Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program – $1,200 to launch a pilot program that will serve up to 10 teens who are in a pivotal transition point in their lives
Bruce, South Dakota
Bruce Stingers Baseball – $1,000 to purchase a padded backstop to ensure the safety of players, coaches, and umpires
Chester, South Dakota
Chester School – $250 for boat kits and award medals for a project in science class for middle school students
Colton, South Dakota
Colton Fire Department – $2,500 to be used to purchase three AED Life Pak CR2 models with public access defibrillator cases
Colton Friends of Baseball – $1,500 to help with field improvements, such as replacing dugouts, concession stand and fencing, along with adding a crow’s nest, accessible seating, and new bathrooms
Crooks, South Dakota
Crooks Community Childcare Center – $1,300 to purchase chairs and an infant table for the new center
Flandreau, South Dakota
Flandreau After Prom – $200 to help cover costs for food, activities, prizes, and entertainment for after prom
Flandreau/Hartford ROCS Transit – $2,000 to be used for general transportation for the elderly, disabled youth, and the overall general public
Garretson, South Dakota
Garretson Area Historical Society – $600 to address public safety, health concerns, and the preservation of a cultural community assessed at the museum. Funding will also support a licensed wildlife contractor to perform human bat exclusion
Hartford, South Dakota
West Central Music Association – $1,499 to purchase two marching band baritones
Holland, Minnesota
SW MN Blaze Baseball – $1,000 to help pay for registration fees, lodging, and meals for the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame tournament in New York
Luverne, Minnesota
Luverne School – $1,000 for miscellaneous items for classrooms
Luverne School – $1,000 to purchase a dramatic play kitchen and sensory table for children to learn through hands on play
Madison, South Dakota
Dakota State University – $850 to support essential event expenses for the “Women in Science Day”
East Dakota Transit – $2,000 to provide general transportation to the elderly, disabled, youth and the public within Madison city limits
Dakota State University – $1,000 for the “JA in a Day” program
Lake County Historical Society – $800 to help develop the Boyd Wagon Virtual Reality Experience, an innovative educational project designed to bring local history to life for youth, families, and lifelong learners
Pipestone, Minnesota
Pipestone Calumet Players – $1,000 to purchase costumes, build sets, and advertising
ACE of Southwest Minnesota – $600 to help provide meal for 200 volunteers for an appreciation event
City of Pipestone – $1,000 to purchase and install communication boards for the parks and outdoor swimming pool
AMP (Arts & Mentoring Project) – $1,000 to help cover cost of a local storage unit that houses essential equipment, supplies, costumes, and sets for the AMP
Pipestone Area French Club – $1,000 for expenses for students to travel to France
Quilts of Valor – $1,500 to purchase supplies to make quilts that will be presented to veterans each year in this region
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
McCrossan Boys Ranch – $2,000 to purchase track and field items needed to utilize the new complex
Center of Hope – $1,000 provide clothing to those transitioning out of prison through “New Beginnings”, provide new bicycle parts/locks for those that use bikes as their main form of transportation, and to provide medicine assistance for the uninsured
Sioux Falls Roosevelt Band Parents Association – $1,000 to be used for props and marching equipment for the 2026 marching band season, along with funding to help with bus service to transport students to and from competitions
Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium – $750 to enable hundreds of children and adults to engage with SFZA’s facilities and programs, including “Zoo & Aquarium for All” which provides reduced-price admission for economically disadvantaged individuals opportunities for all ages
More than $2.5 million has been donated to area non-profits, schools, and communities since the year 2000 when Sioux Valley Energy started its Operation Round Up® (ORU) program. The program is simple – participating members “round up” their electric bill to the next high dollar and those “rounded up” funds are placed into a trust. Additionally, many Sioux Valley Energy employees donate from their paycheck each month. Each quarter the Operation Round Up Board of Trustees meets to review applications and consider grant requests. A list of recent grant recipients, as well as information on how local organizations can apply for funding, can be found at https://www.siouxvalleyenergy.com/operation-round-up The next deadline to apply for funding is May 20 with grants being awarded in June.
Sioux Valley Energy, a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, is a member-owned electric utility, providing reliable electric service at cost-based rates to more than 30,000 homes, farms, businesses, and industries in a seven-county area of east-central South Dakota and western Minnesota.