The Operation Round Up Board of Directors initiated a program offering small, $500 grants to teachers. Grants were available to K-12 teachers in art and science for the 2018-2019 school year. The funds are made available by South Plains Electric Cooperative members contributing to Operation Round Up. Their monthly bill is rounded up to the next dollar, and the extra change, averaging only $6 per year, funds projects like the teacher mini-grants, scholarships and much more.
Cindy Kirby is an elementary teacher at Cotton Center ISD and is a 2018-2019 Operation Round Up Mini-Grant recipient. Kirby used the mini-grant money to replace their raised garden bed and allow the students to each plant their own flower, shrub or Texas Native plant. This project helped teach Cotton Center ISD elementary students about the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables and how to safely and properly prepare those foods.