Midwest Electric recently donated $13,500 to 15 west-central Ohio charities and community projects through the cooperative’s Community Connection Fund.

Thanks to the 89% of members who round up their electric bill and donate to this fund, Midwest Electric has provided $1,257,244 to 1049 local charitable causes since 1998.

The latest recipients of grants include:

• Willshire Museum Project, Van Wert County; $1,250 to prepare a climate-controlled area in the village office to store historical items from the village and surrounding areas.
• Anna Civic Association, Shelby County; $1,000 to construct a splash pad at the Anna Community Park.
• Rehabilitation Center for Neurological Development, Auglaize/Shelby Counties; $650 to purchase a plastic portable table for clients with sensory processing issues to use in the sensory garden while attending the center.
• New Knoxville Firefighters Association, Auglaize County; $1,000 to purchase new pagers for the NKFD members.
• Auglaize County Crisis Center, Auglaize County; $1,500 to provide domestic violence services, 24-hour emergency response, safety planning, shelter, and case management.
• Wapakoneta High School Post Prom, Auglaize County; $100 to rent equipment and purchase food and prizes for the Wapakoneta High School post prom.
• Children’s Hunger Alliance, Allen County; $1,000 to provide year-round meals for insecure children in the region.
• Allen County Sheriff’s Posse, Allen County; $2,200 to purchase necessary safety equipment for the horses and the deputies.
• Voices of Prosperity, Allen County; $500 to purchase a laptop, printer, and Wi-Fi booster.
• The Arc of Allen County, Allen County, $500 to purchase new LED lighting at Camp Robin Rogers.
• The MED Foundation of Mercer Health, Mercer County; $500 to purchase AEDs for the sleep lab at Mercer County Community Hospital.
• VentureLINX, Mercer County; $300 to purchase laptops.
• House of Hope, Mercer County; $1,000 to provide a faith-based sober living facility for recovering substance abuse addicts in the county.
• Marathon X: Kingdom Harvest Ministries, Mercer County; $1,000 to teach Bible curriculum to area school students at off-campus locations.
• Family Care Options, Mercer County; $1,000 to make upgrades to their respite home in Celina.

The Midwest Electric Community Connection Fund is a voluntary charitable program.  Participating members' monthly electric bills are rounded up to the next dollar, with the additional pennies deposited in the Fund.  A Board of Trustees, composed of cooperative members and separate from the Midwest Electric Board of Trustees, oversees the application and allocation process.

Individuals or organizations can obtain an application by contacting Midwest Electric at 1-800-962-3830 or visiting midwestrec.com/community-connection-fund.

Based in St. Marys, Midwest Electric is the not-for-profit, customer-owned electric cooperative serving 11,000 homes, farms, and businesses in Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Van Wert, Shelby, Putnam, and Darke counties. To learn more, visit www.midwestrec.com.