North Central People Fund

North Central Electric Cooperative People FundHGiveelaplitatle lot

North Central Electric CooperativePeople Fund, Inc.Give a little… Help a lot!Dear North Central Electric Member, A cooperative like North Central Electric is a unique business. Becausecooperatives are locally owned and governed by a board of trustees elected bythe members, there is a strong sense of community throughout the membership.“Concern for Community” is one of the seven cooperative principles and a coreattribute of a Touchstone Energy® cooperative. This “Concern for Community” is the primary reason for the inception of theOperation RoundUp® program in 1999 by the cooperative’s Board of Trustees.This Operation RoundUp program formed what we all know as the North CentralElectric People Fund. The Operation RoundUp concept is simple. Members voluntarily round up theirmonthly electric bill payment to the next dollar. The average donation is 50 centsa month per member. Each year, approximately six dollars from each participatingmember is donated to the People Fund – and that pool of money is then allocatedto a variety of worthy causes throughout the service area. About 90 percent of our residential members participate in Operation Round-Up. With such a high percentage of members voluntarily participating, the PeopleFund will $750,000 in grants in late 2015 or early 2016. The People Fund is governed by a nine-member board of trustees appointedby the cooperative’s Board of Trustees. The People Fund Board is an independentteam of dedicated individuals who take their responsibilities seriously and thor-oughly research each grant. I encourage you to read this brochure and learn how the People Fund puts“Concern for Community” to work. Check your monthly bill and make sure you areenrolled in the North Central People Fund. If you opted out of the program, weencourage you to reconsider. See the coupon in the brochure or contact the NorthCentral office to enroll. Your contribution of spare change helps make a difference.Duane Frankart, PresidentNorth Central Electric Board of Trustees

Who benefits from Operation RoundUp? Fire and rescue departments have always been held in high re- gard. For example, the McCutchenville Volunteer Fire Department received a grant to purchase two air tanks used for breathing while fighting fires and working in hazardous conditions, plus a lighting system to be used at fire and rescue scenes. Grants were awarded to the Wyandot East and the Attica-Ven- ice-Reed departments for a metal cutter saw and the Jaws of Life, respectively. Bloom Township used its People Fund grant to purchase air packs. The People Fund board looks favorably on projects that benefit local schools and youth. Several schools, including Mohawk, New Riegel, New Washington, Seneca East and Wynford each pur- chased iPads and Chromebooks to assist in classroom teaching and learning. The People Fund assists individuals in need. Several families have received grants to cover medical expenses, install wheelchair lifts in vans, build an access ramp to their home to accommodate a wheelchair. Emergency grants have also been issued to assist families whose homes were damaged by fire or tornadoes. The board sets guidelines for evaluating applications. Political issues or campaigns are not eligible for People Fund grants. Utility bills are also ineligible. The Operation RoundUp program is successful because every penny is spent on enhancing the quality of life for residents from the North Central Electric service area. It’s neighbors helping neighbors with spare change. Mission Statement The mission of the North Central Electric People Fund, Inc. is the accumulation anddisbursement of funds to organizations and governmental entities for charitable purposesin the North Central Electric Cooperative service area (defined as being within Crawford,Hancock, Huron, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Wood and Wyandot counties). Disbursement of funds to individuals will be considered provided the applicant lacks a basichuman necessity – food, shelter, clothing, health, or other humane needs – and due to his orher financial condition, is unable to provide for the need either personally or through otherforms of assistance.

What is Operation RoundUp? Operation RoundUp is a simple program which allows members to “round up”their monthly electric bill to the next dollar. The extra pennies and nickels – anaverage of 50 cents a month – are accumulated and then put to work helpingorganizations and individuals throughout the North Central Electric service area.North Central is one of more than 475 electric cooperatives across the nation toadopt this program.What happens when I enroll in Operation RoundUp? Each month participating member’s electric bills are rounded up to the nextdollar. For example, a typical member’s monthly bill comes to $91.48. NorthCentral rounds up the bill to $92. The extra 52 cents goes directly to the NorthCentral Electric People Fund, a trust fund set up to handle Operation RoundUpcontributions. The average round up for each participating member is just 50cents a month. Each month, the bill will show an amount listed for “People Fund Contribution”and your bill includes the extra few cents to show an even dollar amount. NorthCentral Electric hopes that all members will participate in the Operation RoundUpprogram. When more members contribute, more help can be given.“We are very thankful tothe People Fund for theirassistance following ourfire. If it wasn’t for thegrants, we would still beliving with family and notknowing where to go next.” -The Tacket Family “The new pump will help the department more effectively contain fires and aid in extracting water from ponds and water sources faster.” - Scipio Republic Fire Chief Jason Porter

What if I don’t want to contribute? Every new North Central Electric member is automat-ically enrolled in the program, but can always chooseto opt out — or back in — the Operation RoundUpprogram at any time. Just call the North Centraloffice, e-mail the Member Services Department [email protected] or enclose anote with your payment and we will take care of the rest. North Central Electric would like to invite those memberswho have chosen to opt out of the program to consideropting back in and joining their fellow cooperative membersin helping the community.How do I know how much of myelectric bill is going to OperationRoundUp? Under the “Cooperative Services & Fees” section of yourmonthly electric bill there is a line that lists “People FundContribution” and the amount that rounds up your bill to thenext dollar.What happens to the money raisedthrough Operation RoundUp? Every cent raised is deposited in the North CentralElectric People Fund, Inc. in a special trust fund which isused only for helping people or groups with specific needs.A small administrative cost to run Operation RoundUp isabsorbed by the cooperative.Who controls how the money raisedis distributed? The People Fund is governed by an independent panelof nine North Central members appointed by the coopera-tive’s board of trustee, representing each of North Central’sseven districts. The members of the People Fund boardreceive and evaluate all applications for funds, and makethe final decision whether to fund a grant request. For acurrent list of People Fund board members, visit the NorthCentral Electric website at www.ncelec.org, and click onthe Community tab and choose People Fund.

How much money is raised by Operation RoundUp? Nearly 85 percent of North Central Electric’s members are enrolled in OperationRoundUp. The average monthly contribution per member is 50 cents per month. ThePeople Fund receives approximately $6,400 per month. North Central Electric hopes thatall members will participate in the Operation RoundUp program. When more memberscontribute, more help can be given.When are grants distributed? Grants are reviewed and issued quarterly in January, April, July and October. The dead-line for a grant application is the last day of the month in March, June, September andDecember. Applications can be obtained by calling the North Central office.How does someone apply for a grant? An application must be requested from the People Fund’s administrative assistant. Theapplication must be filled out and returned prior to the quarterly deadline. The applicationcan be time-consuming, and it is recommended applicants make their request at least twoweeks prior to the deadline. Once the application is received at the cooperative’s office, a People Fund boardmember will then contact the grant applicant and discuss the need for the request. ThePeople Fund board member will then report to the full board at its quarterly meeting and adecision will be made by the full board.“With the funds, Buckeye BuckeyeCentral will send two Central School school employees to an ALICE crisis training course.” - Tyler Pope “We are extremely grateful to the Seneca People Fund to help purchase new East Bandband uniforms. We are a rural communityschool and so many have the services fromNorth Central Electric. We have a fund here that is such a great resource in our rural community.” - Seneca East Band Director Dana Willman

“With the help of a $500 grant provided by North Central Electric Cooperative’s “People Fund,” The Link was able to purchase a rainwater collection system,hoses, garden implements, a sign, and various other items to furnish the garden. Carey Link To learn more about the North Central Electric People Fund, contact North Central Electric Cooperative at 1-800-426-3072 or 419-426-3072 [email protected] Please enroll me in the North Central Electric People Fund* Name Address Phone Account Number To enroll in the People Fund, complete this form and return it with your bill payment or mail it separately to North Central Electric People Fund, Inc, P.O. Box 475, Attica, Ohio 44807. An e-mail to [email protected] that includes the above information is also acceptable. *New North Central Electric members are automatically enrolled into the People Fund and do NOT need to complete.

North Central People Fund, Inc.P.O. Box 475Attica, Ohio 44807-0475