Operation Round Up donates $15,200 to 13 local programs
Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up program donated $15,200 to 13 local nonprofits in January, including $1,200 to Friends of Interstate & Straight Lake Park and $1,000 to St. Croix Falls Historical Society for signage at the Wisconsin Interstate Park, pictured above.
Friends of the Park will use Polk-Burnett Round Up funds to offset the cost of a five-panel interpretive sign that recognizes the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) at Interstate Park. The CCC camp employed young men from Polk and Burnett counties, who were instrumental in the development of the park in the mid-1930s.
St. Croix Falls Historical Society will use grant funds to install a three-panel interpretive sign near Silverbrook Falls in Interstate Park. The panels will share the unique history of Silverbrook Mansion, which can still be seen as ruins along the trail, and its ownership in 1956 by Black civil rights leaders from St. Paul, Annabelle and James Rideaux.
Operation Round Up grant funds are donated to nonprofits that improve our local quality of life by members of Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative who round their monthly electric bill up to the next even dollar amount. “We thank our members for their participation and generosity,” said Polk-Burnett General Manager Steve Stroshane. “And we’re proud to support our community and Interstate Park, according to our cooperative principles.”
Operation Round Up grant recipients this winter are:
1. Amery School Ag Dept, $1,500, install electricity in animal outbuilding
2. Clear Lake Area Community Center, $1,000, fire suppression system for kitchen
3. Clear Lake School District Library, $1,000, library furniture
4. Endeavors Adult Development Ctr, $1,500, support independence for adults living with disabilities
5. Clear Lake Public Library, $1,000, summer reading program
6. Friends of Wisconsin Interstate Park, $1,200, signs that recognize legacy of CCC at park
7. Burnett Youth Hockey Association, $1,000, help replace chiller system at Siren ice rink
8. St. Croix Falls Historical Society, $1,000, Silverbrook Falls and 125th Anniversary signs at Interstate Park
9. Interfaith Caregivers of Polk County, $1,500, transportation and assistance for seniors and adults with disabilities
10. Webster Senior Citizens, $1,000, repair pool table
11. Luck School Garden, $1,000, rebuild raised beds
12. Clear Lake Track & Field, $1,000, exercise bikes
13. Options on 8, $1,500, prenatal and parenting education
Operation Round Up grant recipients are selected quarterly by a co-op member board of directors. Nonprofit organizations interested in applying for a grant or co-op members who’d like to round their bill up in support of Operation Round Up may contact 800-421-0283 or visit our Operation Round Up webpage. The next application deadline is March 1.
