Midwest Electric gives to 11 causes

Eleven Ohio-based charities received around $14,650 in donations from Midwest Electric as of Monday as part of the company’s Community Connection Fund.

The Community Connection Fund is a program with Midwest Electric where members of the company can round up their electric bill to the highest dollar, with the extra money being put into a fund that will be given to various charities within the area. With over $1.2 million donated to various causes since 1998, it’s a been a boon to the business and to the community.

“One of my duties is the Connection Fund. I oversee it, but we have nine trustees on a three-year term that make all the decisions,” stated Business Development Coordinator Joel Johns.

Three new trustees are approved every three years, and this current group decided on the 11 businesses that arrived at their office Monday morning. Johns and the trustees make sure to meet around four times a year in order to discuss what to do each year.

“Annually we give out over $50,000,” Johns said as being their annual estimate. The amount usually varies when it comes to giving to various charities, but the group does their best to give to people who can use the money best. “Today we’re over $1.2 million to 1,034 local charities and non-profits, so it’s a very good thing we’re doing here.”

The money was given to these groups: St. Henry High School After Prom, Historic Main Street Van Wert, Putnam County Council of Aging, Children’s Developmental Center of Lima, Auglaize County Educational Service Center, New Knoxville Community Park Association, Auglaize County Rescue Task Force, Friends of St. Marys Theater, Joint Township District Memorial Hospital Foundation, Gospel Tent of Auglaize County and the Crossroads Crisis Center.

The money is going into various projects that the charities are aiming to get done, improving the cities and counties as a whole. Many of them range from restoration and maintenance projects to purchasing equipment for clients they serve.