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SLEMCO’s Operation Round-Up passes $2.1 million mark in grants to the needy in Acadiana

What can you buy with less than a dollar these days? More than you think when that spare change is pooled to help those in need.

After 20 years working as a self-employed roofer, a 43-year old Opelousas man was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer). The cancer spread to his left sinus cavity, left eye and mouth, resulting in extensive surgery and facial reconstruction. His wife, a teacher’s aide, was forced to take unpaid leave to care for her husband. Having exhausted their savings, the couple faced an uphill struggle to cover monthly expenses as they fought the cancer and its aftermath.

But a $2,500 Operation Round-Up grant covered their mortgage payments, auto insurance and household supplies for four months, easing the financial burden on the family while they applied for Social Security disability and food stamps.

This is just one recent example from thousands of cases where spare change from over 56,000 SLEMCO customers has dramatically improved the quality of life for the less fortunate in our communities through grants covering everything from prescription drugs to emergency household supplies.

SLEMCO Electric Foundation, which administers the Operation Round-Up program and awards grants, offers SLEMCO customers the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors, literally a few cents at a time. Since 1995, SLEMCO customers have been given the option to “Round-Up” their utility bill each month as a donation to this fund. As of June 2005, 66 percent of SLEMCO’s customers were participating, with their average $.48 contribution creating nearly $25,000 each month in funding for the needy.

“On January 4 of this year, Operation Round-Up passed the $2 million mark in grants to the needy and less fortunate,” according to J.U. Gajan, SLEMCO’s chief executive officer and general manager. “Since its start over 10 years ago, $4.5 million in funding requests have been received and $2.1 million has been awarded to 1,382 individuals, families and organizations, thanks to the generosity and support of SLEMCO’s customers.”

Unlike some programs of this kind, SLEMCO’s Operation Round-Up specifically excludes using the funds for paying utility bills, including SLEMCO’s. Instead of paying overdue bills, the goal is providing special assistance to individuals and families—those who slip through the social safety net of public assistance but lack the financial resources to address important personal needs.

All grant requests are thoroughly screened and reviewed by a grant administrator at SLEMCO to ensure grants are awarded to those in greatest need. Grant applications that meet the program’s standards are passed on to the foundation’s board of directors for final approval. The maximum grant is $2,500, and all applicants provide detailed information on their circumstances and financial resources. All funds awarded are channeled directly to the providers of the product or services, whether the medical supplier of a home oxygen unit or the food store providing a month’s worth of groceries for a family whose home was destroyed by fire.

But behind the facts and figures are the individuals who benefit from the program. According to SLEMCO’s Jody Soileau, Operation Round-Up grants administrator, the program’s goal is offering a helping hand where it’s needed most. Over the years, the typical grant has changed, reflecting local needs.

“Medical expenses, typically prescription medicines, are still a large part of what we do,” he explained. “But shelter needs—rent and mortgages—are the largest portion of this year’s funding, nearly 44 percent of the total. The second single largest use of funds was for construction of wheelchair ramps, although funding for hearing aids ranked a close third.

“Our applications reflect the large number of cancer patients here in Acadiana—often one-income single mothers who are caught off guard by serious illness, suddenly unable to make a living and overwhelmed by expenses,” he said. “Round-Up grants help pay their mortgage or rent, allowing the recipients to keep their home until they are able to go back to work or obtain disability payments.”

“We’ve also had a higher number of referrals from community organizations recently for homelessness, most often for women displaced by domestic violence or abuse,” Soileau explained. “These women typically need funds for the furniture and household supplies necessary to establish a new home.

“Each year, the number of SLEMCO customers contributing to the program increases by about three percent,” Soileau noted. “Many times, neighbors see what Operation Round-Up has done for someone they know in their community,” he explained. “After discovering where their spare change goes, and the good it can accomplish, they want to contribute.”

For further information on SLEMCO Electric Foundation grants, contact Jody Soileau, Operation Round-Up grants administrator, at 337-896-2511.

8/4/05