Through the contributions of Lake Country Power’s participating members, the Operation Round Up Electric Trust Board recently approved $60,518 in assistance to local community programs during its quarterly meeting.
The cooperative’s Trust Board reviewed and considered 47 grant applications and distributed funds to 41 projects and programs this past quarter.
All funds generated through Operation Round Up are set aside in a trust fund. A voluntary Trust Board of nine co-op members administers the trust. Of the funds collected through the program, 100% is distributed to charitable organizations through an application and selection process. The Trust Board uses special guidelines and policies when choosing recipients. Since the program’s inception, more than $3.6 million in contributions have been given.
Most recent recipients include:
• Northeast Range School Iron Mosquitos Robotics: $1,500 toward electrical training and upgrades
• Dorothy Molter Memorial Foundation: $1,000 toward a technology update for outreach programs
• Well Being Development/ Northern Lights Clubhouse: $1,000 to support mental and behavioral health illnesses
• Friends of the Babbitt Library: $1,500 toward purchasing new books and related materials
• Ely Arts and Heritage Center: $1,500 toward Heritage Fest 2026 St. Louis County Sheriff Rescue Squad: $1,000 toward snowmobile helmets for rescue team members
• Ely Winter Festival: $1,000 toward the 2026 Ely Winter Festival Operation Round Up is a charitable program unique to electric co-ops, which is designed to provide financial assistance to worthwhile activities and community projects by “rounding up” members’ electric bills to the nearest dollar. The average donation of each participating Lake Country Power member is less than $6 annually.
Among Lake Country Power’s 44,000 members, 70% of all active electric accounts participate in the program through voluntary contributions. Interested members can opt into the Operation Round Up program by calling the cooperative at 800-421-9959.
The electronic application process is available at www. lakecountrypower.coop (My Cooperative > Community > Operation Round Up). The next application deadline is Feb. 15.
