When Sioux Valley Energy members round up their bills to the nearest dollar, those spare cents add up fast. This quarter, that extra change resulted in grants totaling $25,725 for 19 non-profits, schools, and communities, plus $6,000 for scholarships through the Cooperative’s Operation Round Up® program. The Sioux Valley Energy Customers’ Trust Board of Directors awarded the grants during its quarterly meeting in September.
Recipients included:
Baltic, South Dakota
- Horsepower/Handi-Riders, Inc. – $2,000 to support the scholarship fund assisting participants with cost of sessions and to support the Hope Reins program that serves veterans and active-duty military members
Brandon, South Dakota
- Service Leadership Academy – $2,000 to cover the cost of seven students for a servant leadership experience
Brookings, South Dakota
- Brookings County 4-H – $1,500 to provide shirts to 4-H members and leaders
- Project Joy – $1,500 to purchase toys, gift cards, and supplies
Chester, South Dakota
- Chester Girls Basketball – $1,000 to for team camps and to purchase gear
Flandreau, South Dakota
- Flandreau Elementary PBIS – $1,250 to purchase prizes for SOAR days to help promote positive social skills within our youth
- South Dakota Freedom Hunts – $1,500 to cover costs of food, supplies, guides, and pheasants for events
Garretson, South Dakota
- Garretson School – $1,250 to purchase shirts for students and staff for the SOAR program for the 2026-27 school year
Hills, Minnesota
- City of Hills – $1,000 to help construct a shelter to provide shade and add a sandbox for children
- HBC Letter Club – $1,000 to provide academic letters, sports letters, pins, and an interactive television display
Kenneth, Minnesota
- City of Kenneth – $1,250 to help update and repair the community center and old fire department
Madison, South Dakota
- The Gathering Meal – $1,500 to provide a meal for those in need in the Madison community
Rapid City, South Dakota
- South Dakota FFA Foundation – $1,825 to provide FFA jackets and scholarships to attend the SD FFA Summer Leadership Retreat
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota – $1,500 to provide a meal before and cookie reception after the “Christmas at the Cathedral” event for guests from Bishop Dudley House, St. Francis House and the Banquet
- Glory House – $1,800 to purchase iPads and stylus pens for intake paperwork, orientation documents, and treatment planning
- Rare by Design – $1,000 funding to help provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, accessible stages, ramps, and seating, and designed event spaces for yearly event
- Sioux Falls Catholic School Corporation/St. Katharine Drexel – $350 to provide "Ag Day" classroom learning sessions each month
- Sioux Falls School District – $1,000 to support after school programs, such as ADAO basketball, Siouxer Skate, dance, and yoga
Valley Springs, South Dakota
- Beaver Creek Cemetery Association – $1,500 to develop and implement a GPS-based cemetery mapping system
More than $2.7 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 Sioux Valley Energy Customers’ Trust Board of Directors 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 November 20 with grants being awarded in December.
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.
PHOTO provided by South Dakota Freedom Hunts