Through the generosity of nearly 75 percent of our members, three organizations in our community recently benefited from LaGrange County REMC’s Operation Round Up program.

Local organizations, including Tri-Kappa LaGrange Mu and its “Blessings in a Backpack” program, are helped by your donations to Operation Round Up.

Operation Round Up is a voluntary program allowing members to round up their monthly bills to the nearest dollar. Those pennies on the dollar are then given back to the community through grant funding, which is nearing the $500,000 mark since the program began in January 2002. The program serves everyone from youth to seniors to young families.

We are thankful for the people in LaGrange County willing to serve others and are honored to be able to provide funding for the organizations that strive to make LaGrange County a better place to live.

Operation Round Up awarded $7,500 in funds recently to the following organizations:

• The Farm was awarded $4,000 to provide operating funds and sustainability for its program. It will provide a house for approved foster parents to take in children at any hour of the day.
• Little Laker League received $1,500 to serve around 200 children from ages 5-12 by purchasing equipment for football, basketball and baseball programs. It is looking to purchase helmets, jerseys, balls and other equipment.
• Tri-Kappa LaGrange Mu was awarded $2,000 for its “Blessings in a Backpack” program, which provides food for children to take home on weekends when they might otherwise go without. This money would go toward starting the program at Lakeland Middle School.

If you are part of a civic organization that provides services to people in our community, we encourage you to apply for funding. The application deadline for the next cycle of funding is Monday, Oct. 1.

Applications can be picked up at our office at 1995 E. U.S. 20 in LaGrange or downloaded from our website at lagrangeremc.com.