Sioux Valley Energy and its members are making an impact in local communities. During the most recent quarterly meeting of the Sioux Valley Energy Customers’ Trust Board of Directors, $32,725 in grants were awarded by the Cooperative’s Operation Round Up® program. An additional $5,000 was reserved for scholarships.

Recipients included:

Bath, South Dakota

South Dakota FFA Foundation, Inc., – $1,425 in funding for FFA jackets and leadership retreat scholarships

Brandon, South Dakota

Midwest Street Medicine – $1,000 to launch service providing clear vision to those in need

Service Leadership Academy – $2,000 to host two servant leadership academies in Sioux Falls

Brookings, South Dakota

Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity – $2,500 toward the Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity home build program.

Chester, South Dakota

Chester Girls Basketball – $1,000 in funding for team camps and to purchase gear

Colton, South Dakota

Tri-Valley Elementary - PT – $1,000 in funding for riding toys for the special education program         

Dell Rapids, South Dakota

St. Mary’s Catholic School – $1,500 toward new student desks and Chromebooks

Flandreau, South Dakota

Moody County Historical Society and Museum – $1,000 for repairs needed on historical buildings on museum grounds

VFW Moody Post 3351 – $500 to purchase Purple Heart County signs for county

Hartford, South Dakota

Humboldt Sharpshooters – $1,000 in funding toward construction of new indoor shooting range

Hills, Minnesota

Hills-Beaver Creek Community Education Robotics Program – $1,000 to purchase team t-shirts and for ground transportation to international competition

Holland, Minnesota

Holland Fire Department – $4,000 toward purchase of high-pressure air compressor

Luverne, Minnesota

Luverne Elementary – $600 to purchase hammocks to be used for reading and outdoor enjoyment

Luverne Initiatives for Tomorrow (LIFT) – $1,500 to support and advance the Luverne Farmers Market with storage for all supplies

Pipestone, Minnesota

Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce – $1,000 in funding for community holiday event to provide each child their own book

Pipestone Area Softball and Baseball Association – $1,000 in funding to help pay for portable pitching mounds and umpire gear

Pipestone EDA – $1,000 funding to assist with implementation of the University of Minnesota Extension program, “Connecting Business and Community”

Pipestone Elementary School – $1,500 funding translating earbuds for classroom 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Bread Break – $1,500 toward fuel expenses for vans operating seven days a week

Feeding South Dakota – $1,000 toward the BackPack Program

Glory House – $1,000 in funding to purchase 40 shelving units for clients to have a secure and durable location for their belongings

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls – $2,000 toward building materials for a Habitat home built in partnership with the CTE Academy of Sioux Falls

Midwest Food Bank - Tristate – $1,000 in funding to help cover cost of freight to get food to them which then is distributed to 20 local food pantries

Valley Springs, South Dakota

Charles R. Doman American Legion Post 131 – $1,500 toward replacing broken asphalt areas and overlaying parking lot with new asphalt

Volga, South Dakota

West Sioux II 4-H Club – $200 to purchase supplies for members of the club to  construct extension cords                               

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 August 20 with grants being awarded in September.

Sioux Valley Energy, a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, is a member-owned electric utility, providing reliable electric service at cost-based rates to nearly 30,000 homes, farms, businesses, and industries in a seven-county area of east-central South Dakota and western Minnesota.