Promise Place gets $10,000 grant

Promise Place, a non-profit group established in 1987 to provide assistance to domestic violence victims and their children, was recently presented with $10,000 from the Southern Rivers Energy Trust, Inc through the co-op’s Operation Round Up program. Promise Place is part of the Griffin Judicial Circuit and began serving the needs of victims in Pike, Spalding and Upson counties. Board co-chair Lynn Vickers recently applied for an Operation Round Up® grant through the SRE Trust to help provide emergency shelter and support for victims in those three counties in SRE’s service territory.The board awarded $10,000 to Promise Place which was recently named Organization of the Year by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at the annual community awards banquet.Operation Round Up® grants are made possible by SRE members who volunteer to round up their electric bill to the nearest dollar. Members contribute anywhere from one cent to 99 cents each month but most average about 50 cents a month or just $6 a year. Funds are allocated by the SRE Trust board, comprised of volunteer SRE members. Grants are awarded based on need, project merit, available funding and scope of service. The money collected each month goes to local non-profit agencies serving needs in Pike, Spalding, Upson, Bibb, Coweta, Crawford, Lamar, Meriwether and Monroe counties.Individual grants are also considered for SRE members in need of assistance for medical hardship or disaster relief. Grants will not be given to pay utility bills or general operating expenses. Go to southernriversenergy.com for more information on SRE’s Operation Round Up® program and many other programs and services provided by the cooperative.For more about Promise Place, go to promiseplace.org or call 770-460-1604.