MOORE HAVEN — Through Operation Round Up (ORU), Glades Electric Cooperative (GEC) members granted $9,500 to support students in Glades, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee counties for the 2022-2023 school year.

Members contribute to ORU by electing to round their monthly electric bill up to the nearest dollar. Funds are then distributed to local non-profits and individuals in need by the Glades Electric Charitable Trust (GECT) through an application process.

Florida Community Health Centers (FCHC) received $2,000 for assistance with backpack and school supply giveaways. FCHC hosted events in Clewiston, Moore Haven and Montura, providing supplies for a combined total of more than 600 students.

Our Village Okeechobee received $5,000 to fund their Back to School Expo, connecting more than 2,300 individuals in Okeechobee County with essential supplies and services ahead of the school year. Our Village provides a community of support for families and students in Okeechobee County.

The Highlands County Family YMCA received $2,500 to support their growing after school program. The program, which includes academic programming, homework assistance and tutoring, has nearly doubled in the last year; the GEC grant provides for the purchase of additional technology critical to their academic programs.

“When each member gives just a little change back with their electric bill, we are able to make big impacts in our communities,” GECT Vice Chairman Dave McCadam said. “We can do things like provide backpacks for kids who need one. All that is made possible through members giving back with Operation Round Up. What may seem like a small contribution can provide a helping hand to many of our neighbors in need.”

ORU is funded by the generosity of GEC members who opt to have their monthly electric bill rounded up to the nearest dollar, for the purpose of supporting individuals and non-profit programs in Glades, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee counties. Members wanting to join the cause can easily enroll through GEC’s SmartHub app.

Glades Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit electric utility cooperative established in Moore Haven, Florida in 1945, serving over 17,000 accounts in Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties. Operation Round Up funds donated by Glades Electric Cooperative members are administered by the nine-member volunteer Board of Directors of the Glades Electric Charitable Trust.