Wright-Hennepin Members Donate $22,000 to Local Organizations

Contact: Lauren Dublin
Phone: (763) 477- 3111
Email: ldublin@whe.org

Rockford, Minn. (June 25, 2025) — Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH) members who participate in Operation Round Up (ORU) donated grants totaling $22,090 in June. ORU has awarded more than $5.4 million since it began in 1994.

ORU participants allow their electric bills to be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The rounded amount is then used for donations supporting local programs. Approximately 90% of WH’s members participate in the ORU program, contributing a total of almost $20,000 each month. ORU’s board manages the donated money, which is held in a trust fund. Through a selection process and review of guidelines, the ORU trustees evaluate funding requests on a bimonthly basis.

Watch a video demonstrating the local impact of ORU at bit.ly/WH-ORU25.

At their June meeting, the ORU trust board donated the following on behalf of WH members:

• $6,490, Freedom Farm, funds to support farm for Sure Hand lift, overhead door, and arena heaters.
• $5,000, CAER, funds to support Utility Assistance program.
• $5,000, Thumbs Up High 5K, funds to support after-school programming for mental health support.
• $2,600, Rise, Inc., funds to purchase wheelchair accessible garden beds and adaptive equipment for Crystal location.
• $1,500, Fishing Klinics for Kids, funds to support Fishing Klinic during Buffalo Days and other events.
• $1,500, Improve Your Tomorrow, funds to support mentoring young men of color in the College Academy program.

Applications for the next round of funding are due August 1. Learn about the activities ORU supports and find the grant application here, email oru@whe.org, or call ORU Trust Administrator Lisa Zipp at (763) 477-6126.

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility that provides power to rural Wright County and western Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen to the area since 1937 and currently serves more than 59,000 electric accounts. It is headquartered in Rockford, Minn.