Fourteen area organizations were beneficiaries of contributions from the 4-County Electric Power Association Foundation Feb. 20. That support is all thanks to “small change” the majority of 4-County customers are willing to chip in each month by having their utility bill rounded up to the next dollar. Those modest amounts, multiplied by thousands of participants, add up. Since the foundation began in February 2015, it has put more than $300,000 back into schools, law enforcement, emergency service agencies and other entities that support the well-being of communities in the electric power distributor’s nine-county service area.
Participants’ monthly contributions average out to be about 49 cents, or around $6 per year, said Jon Turner, head of 4-County marketing and public relations.
“They’re so generous to be a part of the program,” Turner said. “We end up being able to do great things, from bullet-proof vests for area police and sheriff departments to lots of help for volunteer fire departments and other groups.”
Lorene Bentley Cannon is principal of Earl Nash Elementary School in Macon. The school received a donation of about $3,500 in February to purchase Smart Boards, an interactive whiteboard system for classrooms that uses touch detection for input — much like device screens now in common use. In the age of technology, Cannon is convinced the upgrade will increase student focus and learning.
“In a rural school like ours, where we don’t have the businesses for the tax base that other counties have, this donation supports us, and we’re able to do things we wouldn’t normally be able to do,” Cannon said. “We’re just delighted to have been chosen for this donation.”
Agnes Zaiontz of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority said an award of $5,000 will help purchase textbooks, CDs and supplies used in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teacher training curriculum.
“Without people like 4-County — and they’ve been one of our strongest supporters — these types of projects just could not be done,” said Zaiontz.
“The foundation’s mission is to give back to 4-County members and the communities in which they live,” Turner emphasized.
Award recipients
Those receiving foundation awards at the 4-County Corporate Center in Mayhew were:
For more information about the 4-County Foundation, call 1-800-431-1544.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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