The Beltrami Electric Cooperative Trust Board for Operation Round Up met via teleconference in April to review 30 grant applications requesting funding for various local programs. The total amount requested this quarter was $60,095. The board awarded grants to 23 area nonprofit and community organizations totaling $21,100. Many local programs and organizations benefit from Operation Round Up, a charitable program designed to give cooperative members a means of working together to use their small change to make a big impact in our local communities. Together, we are doing some wonderful things for our friends and neighbors.
The average amount a member will contribute is 50 cents a month of $6 a year, while the maximum annual contribution possible is $11.88 per year. Contributions to Operation Round Up are tax deductible and will be shown on your billing statement. Participation is voluntary and members may opt out any time or opt back in by contacting our office. The next application deadline is September 25, 2020.
The following organizations were awarded Operation Round Up grants in April:
| ORGANIZATION | PROGRAM | GRANT |
| Backwoods Bash | Blackduck Backwoods Bash (August 2020) | $1,250 |
| Beltrami County Agricultural Association | The Magic of Maggie the Cow-Teaching Moments in the Barn | $1,000 |
| Bemidji Career Academies | BCA Exploring Program | $1,000 |
| Bemidji Community Theater | Sound system for classes and events | $798 |
| Bemidji Sculpture Walk | BSW Artist Community Open House | $500 |
| BHS Boys Soccer Boosters | Team rain gear | $750 |
| BHS Girls Soccer Boosters | Cold weather apparel | $750 |
| Blackduck Community Library | Summer Reading Program | $500 |
| Blackduck High School | Blackduck High School After Prom Safe Event (Summer 2020) | $500 |
| City of Laporte | Civil defense siren | $1,500 |
| Community Table (Community Soup Kitchen) | Steam trap replacements | $500 |
| Concordia Language Villages | Fourth and Fifth Grade Essay Contest | $1,000 |
| Deeper Life Bible Camp | New dishwasher and installation | $1,000 |
| Headwaters School of Music and the Arts | Alice Blessing finger paint technique workshops | $312 |
| Jesus Cares Program-St.Mark's Lutheran School/Church | Install elevator in facility for handicap accessibility for program | $1,000 |
| Kelliher Fire & Rescue | Self-contained breathing apparatus upgrade | $2,000 |
| Let's Go Fishing of MN | Let's Go Fishing-Bemidji Chapter | $500 |
| Level Ground (Homeless shelter) | The Door-materials for sheetrock and paint | $1,490 |
| Muscular Dystrophy Association | MDA Summer Camp | $500 |
| Red Lake Rosie's Rescue | Red Lake Reservation Neuter/Spay Program | $1,000 |
| Society of St. Vincent de Paul-St. Philip's Conference | Hope in Bemidji Program | $1,000 |
| United Way of Bemidji Area | Emergency Fund (COVID-19) | $2,000 |
| Walker Area Food Shelf | Temperature monitoring equipment | $500 |