Tipmont awards $13,241 in grants to 7 area nonprofits

Next applications for Operation Round Up funds due July 5, 2010; open

to nonprofits in Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties

Tipmont REMC is awarding grants totaling $13,241 to seven area nonprofits through its Operation Round Up program. Awards are made quarterly and open to 501(c)3 groups in Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties.

This round, grants are going to:

§  In Fountain County: $1,000 to Covington-Veedersburg Public Library to fund summer program for 4^th and 5^th graders.

§  In Montgomery County: $2,594 to Abilities Services Inc. to update its teaching kitchen; $485 to Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, for scholarships and supplies for summer youth academy teaching character and leadership; and $3,167 to Linden-Madison Township Historical Society for an air conditioner and humidifier.

§  Tippecanoe County: $2,000 to Book Cycle, for books for Head Start and Tippecanoe County Child Care programs; $1,100 to Lafayette Transitional Housing Center, for a computer and printer; and $2,895 to Art Museum of Greater Lafayette for a public address sound system.

Money for the grants comes from the electric company’s members who allow their monthly bills to be rounded up to the next highest dollar each month. More than 9,100 Tipmont REMC members participate. Since the program began in 1999, Tipmont has distributed $691,930.35 to nonprofits in several counties.

“Helping others is something Tipmont members do by nature,” said Tim McCarthy, Tipmont chief executive officer. “We make it easy for them to give by rounding up their bill and collecting many small amounts into sizable donations, all used in communities right here.”

 
One of the largest benefactors in the region, Tipmont’s Operation Round Up is the only one collecting donations by rounding up bills, he said.

The application deadline for the next cycle is Monday, July 5, 2010. Nonprofit organizations in Tipmont’s service area who are interested in applying for funds may obtain an application online at www.tipmont.org or call 1-800-726-3953.

Founded in 1939 and headquartered in Linden, Tipmont REMC is a member-owned cooperative providing electric service to some 24,500 members, primarily in Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties. It also offers long-distance calling plans and home and business security systems, through its partial ownership of OneTouch Security Plus.

Tipmont is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, a national alliance of local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives providing high standards of service and dedicated to serving members with integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.