Whitewater Valley REMC

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Operation
Round Up^®

in 2003 Whitewater Valley REMC began providing a means for customers to help the community where they live – and it barely requires lifting a finger.

Operation Round Up is a voluntary program to have your electric bill rounded up to the next whole dollar. By doing this customers can put their nickels and dimes to work and benefit their community. Commitment to community is one of our Touchstone Energy^® principles and we take that commitment seriously. Operation Round Up will provide a financial boost for the community. The program will be yours as customers of Whitewater Valley REMC. We will just provide the vehicle for organizing the effort.

So what is Operation Round Up?
Operation Round Up is a program developed by a Palmetto Electric Cooperative in Hilton Head, South Carolina. It has been copied and used by many cooperative all over the United States.

How does it work?
Members who wish to participate in the program have their electric bill rounded up each month and those few cents are deposited into a separate fund. For example, let’s say your bill this month is $81.75, the bill would be automatically rounded up to $82.00 and the extra $.25 would be deposited in the Operation Round Up® fund. This donation averages $6.00 per year per member; the maximum donation could be $11.88 per year and is tax deductible. 100% of your donation is available to applicants in our own local area for worthwhile needs. None of your donation goes to the administrative costs of running the program. Participation would be completely voluntary.

NEWS RELEASE

Local Organizations Receive $10,342 in Grants from the Whitewater Valley REMC Community Trust, Inc.
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Whitewater Valley
Community Trust , Inc.

Downloadable Grant Applications (pdf format)

Individual/Family

Organizations

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Who controls the funds?
The Whitewater Valley REMC Community Trust, Inc. is a separate entity from the REMC with its own board of trustees appointed by our board of directors to oversee the fund. The current trustees are Kevin Kerns from Union City, IN; Kevin Smith from Centerville, IN; and Donna Williams from West Harrison, IN. One trustee is from each district of the Whitewater Valley REMC service territory to ensure representation for the whole area.

Who can apply?
Individuals or groups in the community can make application. The trustees’ responsibility is to evaluate those applications and distribute the funds according to the Trust’s by laws. Application forms are available at the Whitewater Valley REMC office or can be downloaded here. Application deadlines are the second Monday in January, April, July, and October.

What are possible uses of the funds?
The mission statement states that funds are to “ benefit people and organizations for community service projects, economic development, education and youth programs, environmental projects, emergency assistance and disaster relief.” Some examples of possible uses of the funds could be new equipment for a volunteer fire department, educational equipment for a school, lighting for a ball field, emergency assistance for a weather-related disaster, etc. It is not for past due electric bills or any kind of political contributions.

How do I participate?
The program is voluntary. Each new member is automatically signed up to participate but any customer who wishes to not participate can notify us at sign up or by calling the REMC office and filling out an Opt-Out form. Any customer who previously decided not to participate and has now changed their mind, may now sign up by calling the REMC office.

What if I can’t or don’t want to participate?
We realize that not everyone will be able to or have the desire to participate in this program. The October bills will contain a special insert with an opt-out form that can be filled out and returned to the office. This is a voluntary program and all contributions are tax deductible.

What if someone becomes an “accidental” participant?
Anyone can withdraw from Operation Round Up® at anytime by contacting the REMC office and receive a refund for up to one year’s contribution.

©2003 Whitewater Valley REMC 101 Brownsville Avenue • Liberty, IN 47353 tel: (765) 458-5171 • toll-free: (800) 529-5557
fax: (765) 458-5938 • email: info@wwvremc.com • Office Hours: M–F, 7:30a–4:30p, Closed Sat., Sun. and holidays