Operation Round-Up – Grants totaling $8,000 were recently awarded to four area organizations.

Macomb High School Fine Arts received $1,500 towards a field trip to Chicago for the Immersive Frida Kahlo art exhibit as well as a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago. MHS Art Instructor Emily Platt says cultural exposure is a vital part of shaping well-rounded students. Much of their focus this year has been on history and how they can relate it to their own art, and she is excited to give them this unique opportunity to connect with other artists.

McDonough District Hospital Foundation was granted $2,500 towards Project: Wear It Out. The mission for this project is to provide staple clothing items to patients who arrived via ambulance and are discharged without appropriate attire to get them home. Becky Paulsen MDH Foundation Vice President stated that these circumstances are occurring more frequently, and they are working to fill that void.

McDonough County 4-H Building and Grounds was granted $2,000 to assist with providing new power to their expanded facilities. The 4-H board is attempting to expand the use of the local fairgrounds beyond the usual “livestock only” so that it may be used for a variety of purposes to benefit the entire community.

Illowa Council Boy Scouts of America, Inali District received $2,000 for their Cub Scout Day Camp. The Inali District (Knox, Warren, McDonough, and Stark counties) works hard each year to host a week-long day camp for boys and girls kindergarten through fifth grade and these funds will help them fund camperships so more youth are able to attend.

The Operation Round-Up program is funded by members of McDonough Power Cooperative who have their bills rounded up to the nearest dollar. The extra pennies are used to support community betterment projects. Since the initial round of funding in January 2016, the program has donated over $158,000 to local organizations. The next deadline to apply for an Operation Round-Up grant is July 5, 2022. For more details, CLICK HERE.