Amanda Campbell is an English-language arts and reading teacher at Abernathy Middle School and is a 2017-2018 Operation Round Up Mini-Grant recipient. Campbell purchased two new Chromebooks with the mini-grant.
“The Chromebooks allow our students to use technology every day,” Campbell said, “and we don’t have to take them somewhere else, such as a computer lab, to use it.”
Campbell said her students love anything technology-based and hands-on. Having access to Chromebooks in the classroom gives Campbell’s students the opportunity to actively engage and enjoy learning.
“Our students love them and we use them every day,” Campbell said. “We really appreciate all of the contributions and time spent to put this together for us.”
The Operation Round Up Board of Directors initiated a program offering small, $500 grants to teachers. Grants were available to K-12 teachers in reading or social studies for the 2017-2018 school year. The funds are made available by South Plains Electric members who ask to have their monthly bill rounded up to the next dollar. The extra change, averaging only $6 per year, funds projects like the teacher mini-grants, scholarships and much more.
Operation Round Up was established in 1993 to help communities and individuals needing a hand up, not a hand out. The program’s tagline, “neighbors helping neighbors,” is at the heart of why South Plains Electric Cooperative exists.
During the past 25 years, Operation Round Up has helped hundreds of individuals and organizations. Many donations go unpublicized out of respect for the individual recipients. Operation Round Up, under the guidance of a 10-member board, sometimes works quietly to improve members’ lives.
Ten teacher mini-grants were awarded for the 2017-2018 school year. The recipients were: Amanda Campbell, Abernathy ISD; Ollie Hart, Abernathy ISD; Margaret Hernandez, Cotton Center ISD; Cynthia Walden, Cotton Center ISD; Ida Cisneros, Frenship ISD; Ashley Teague, Frenship ISD; Laura Cueto, Lubbock-Cooper ISD; Bruce Lange, Lubbock-Cooper ISD; Kerri Tosi, Lubbock-Cooper ISD; and Lisa Scott, Shallowater ISD.
If all of our members were participating in Operation Round Up, we would have over $200,000 a year to give back to our local communities. You can sign up for Operation Round Up online or call (806) 775-7766. You may also sign up by checking the Operation Round Up box on your monthly bill.
