Wright-Hennepin Members Donate $37,000 to Local Organizations

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

Rockford, Minn. (January 15, 2026) — Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH) members who participate in Operation Round Up (ORU) rounded out 2025 by donating grants totaling over $37,000 in December. 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.

The ORU trust board donated the following on behalf of WH members:

• $10,000, WeCan, funds to support emergency assistance program.
• $8,795, Lake Ridge Health Care Center, funds to purchase five power lifts, and reclining chairs for each room.
• $7,500, Children’s Home Society of MN, funds to support education and adoption services and family support.
• $7,500, Pay It Forward Fund, funds to support women’s cancer patients.
• $3,000, Angel Bears of Love, funds to support the gift of an Angel Bear to children and adults with life threatening diseases.
• $500, Rocket Booster, funds to support after-Prom party.

Applications for the next round of funding are due February 1. Learn about the activities ORU supports and find the grant application by visiting bit.ly/WH-ORU, emailing oru@whe.org, or calling ORU Trust Administrator Lisa Zipp at (763) 497-8189.

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 61,000 electric accounts. It is headquartered in Rockford, Minn.