Students at 40 local elementary schools, organizations benefit
Broad River Electric Charities has provided 3,000 book bags to elementary students across the upstate of South Carolina. Over 40 schools and community centers in Spartanburg, Union, and Cherokee Counties received book bags the week before the academic year began. The book bags were distributed to all the elementary schools in Union and Cherokee County and schools in Spartanburg Districts One, Two, Three, Five, and Six.
“School officials tell us there is a need for these backpacks throughout our area,” explained Barbara Whitney, chair of the Broad River Electric Charities Board and a retired school administrator in Spartanburg County. “We wanted to help our children begin their school year equipped with the knowledge that their community supports them.”
The funds used to purchase the packs came from the Operation Round Up® program, a Broad River Electric program in which the cooperative’s members round up their monthly bills to the nearest dollar. The extra change accumulates into a benevolent fund that is distributed to local charities and causes. This is the fifth consecutive summer that the fund has provided book bags to local students.
Broad River Electric Charities is a philanthropic subsidiary of Broad River Electric Cooperative.