BROOKINGS — The new year is looking a bit brighter for three Brookings County organizations receiving $2,750 in Sioux Valley Energy Operation Round Up grants.
The awards are part of …
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BROOKINGS — The new year is looking a bit brighter for three Brookings County organizations receiving $2,750 in Sioux Valley Energy Operation Round Up grants.
The awards are part of $41,500 in grants, including nearly $5,000 reserved for scholarships, awarded during the quarterly meeting of the Sioux Valley Energy customers’ trust board of directors in December. More than $164,000 in Operation Round Up grants was awarded in 2024.
• Boys & Girls Club of Brookings — $1,250 awarded to purchase e-sports consoles
• Dakota Drifters Snowmobile Club — $500 in funding awarded for speakers and presenters at the South Dakota Snowmobile Association State Convention
• South Dakota Youth Foundation — $1,000 awarded toward training materials, toolkits for schools and curriculum printing
Other fourth quarter recipients include:
• Baltic Community Club — $1,000 to build an outdoor classroom at the community garden
• City of Beaver Creek — $2,500 awarded to expand the splash pad at the city park
• Brandon Valley Band parents — $1,200 awarded to purchase portable mirrors for winter guard and color guard rehearsal
• Brandon Valley Hockey Association — $1,200 awarded to build locker rooms at the new indoor hockey facility
• Dynamic Dance Booster Club — $1,000 awarded to help fund the dance team’s participation at the world competition in Florida
• Chester Area Middle School Science — $500 awarded to purchase Solar Power Rover Kits and Solar Power Racer Kits
• City of Colton — $1,500 awarded to add a 10-foot by 14-foot concrete pad at the pool
• Boys & Girls Club of Moody County — $1,250 awarded to purchase e-sports consoles
• Flandreau Public High School After Prom — $750 awarded toward After Prom event
• Palisades State Park — $1,000 awarded toward installation of a kayak and fishing dock at the park
• Christ Lutheran Church Daycare — $1,000 approved to purchase wellness and physical fitness items
• Carson’s Cause — $2,000 in funding to purchase brain health improvement books for elementary students
Generations Inc. Quilters — $1,000 awarded to purchase batting and sewing supplies
• Dakota State University Foundation — $1,500 in funding to help sponsor Junior Achievement’s JA-in-a-Day program for area middle school students
• The Domestic Violence Network $2,000 awarded to use for rental deposits, rent, utility deposits and bills, and other items to help individuals and families
• East Dakota Transit — $2,000 awarded toward general transit operations
• Madison High School Drumline — $500 awarded toward drumline costs
• Sunset Harbor Homeowners Association — $600 awarded toward purchase of an outdoor enclosure for the association’s automatic external defibrillator (AED)
• Historic Pipestone, Incorporated (HPI) — $1,000 awarded toward funding for the electrical and plumbing portion of the St. Paul Episcopal Church historic site remodel
• Pipestone County Historical Society — $1,500 awarded toward the electrical upgrade to the Ferris Grand Block
• Town of Ramona — $1,500 in funding to help transform the city baseball field to a multi-use field
• Breathe Bravely — $2,500 awarded to fund “Singspire,” a program of 10 weeks of virtual vocal lessons for individuals with cystic fibrosis
• Catholic Community Foundation — $1,250 awarded to purchase gifts for children attending Christmas at the Cathedral
• Great Bear Ski Valley Adaptive Skier Program — $2,000 toward purchase of SnowKart adaptive ski equipment
• Independent Living Choices ADA 35 Festival — $2,000 in funding awarded to support vendors, interactive booths, activities, programming, volunteers, and more for the ADA 35 Festival in July 2025
• Rare by Design — $1,000 awarded toward hosting the fourth annual The Style Show: A Runway to Empower in May 2025
• Volunteers of America — $1,500 awarded to purchase sensory equipment for children residing at New Start
• Washington Pavilion Management, Inc. — $1,500 to support Spotlight Theatre Company offerings for students ages 6-18
• TSC Blaze — $500 awarded for uniforms and equipment for 2025 18u softball season
More than $2.46 million has been donated to area non-profits, schools, and communities since 2000, when Sioux Valley Energy started its Operation Round Up program.
The program is simple — participating members “round up” their electric bill to the next high dollar and those “rounded up” funds are placed into a trust. Additionally, many Sioux Valley Energy employees donate from their paycheck each month. Each quarter the Operation Round Up board of trustees meets to review applications and consider grant requests. A list of recent grant recipients, as well as information on how local organizations can apply for funding, can be found here.
The next deadline to apply for funding is Feb. 20, with grants being awarded in March.
Sioux Valley Energy, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, is a member-owned electric utility, providing electric service at cost-based rates to nearly 30,000 homes, farms, businesses, and industries in a seven-county area of east-central South Dakota and western Minnesota.