4-County EPA Details Member Charitable Donations

4-County members will notice a year-end figure on their upcoming bills detailing their total contributions to the co-op’s Foundation.

“Total Roundup Contribution for 2015” will appear near the top of the bill. Most members averaged about $5.50 per year in contributions to the Foundation.

Forty-five organizations in 4-County’s nine-county service area received awards from the cooperative’s Foundation since its inception in February 2015. That’s a total of nearly $120,000 dispersed among organizations like the Frank Phillips YMCA, Contact Helpline, the Sally Kate Winters Home and the American Red Cross.

4-County believes in helping the communities it serves. That’s why the cooperative launched the 4-County Foundation, a community service program. Since its inception, 4-County members’ utility bills have been rounded up to the nearest dollar; a $125.79 bill, for example, becomes $126.

Now, at the most that’s around a little less than an extra $12 per year per member (an average of about $5.50 per year per member). However, when you multiply those contributions by thousands of member participants, that change becomes real dollars of hope and assistance for those worthy Foundation recipients.

Just a few cents a month, for each member that participates, over the course of a year makes a huge difference for organizations like the Choctaw County Fire Services. The group used their grant to purchase additional protective gear and equipment firefighters needed when serving citizens under their watch. Groups throughout 4-County service area can share similar stories of Foundation gifts.

4-County Foundation Board members, individuals selected from throughout the cooperative service area, decide and handle fund requests.

Applications to receive Foundation assistance for individuals and organizations are available in 4-County offices and on the 4-County website, www.4county.org. You can also call 1-800-431-1544 for more information.

Programs like this have been in existence at rural electric cooperatives throughout the nation since 1989. Since their induction, these programs have raised more than $41 million for charitable causes.