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Caldwell Community Helping Agencies Receive Foundation Grants
(front row l-r): Jeff Joines, Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors; Lisa Clontz, Shelter Home of Caldwell County; Kelly Merck, The Wig Bank of Caldwell County; Sarah Thomas, The Mitford Museum; Chris Burks, King Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Inc; Cindy Day, Caldwell Heritage Museum; Charmion Frizsell, Communities in Schools of Caldwell County; Sandra Watts, Fort Defiance, Inc.
(back row l-r): Tyler Reese, Blue Ridge Energy Caldwell District Manager; Donyetta Gilmer, Shelter Home of Caldwell County, Inc; Becky Gibbons, The Wig Bank of Caldwell County; Jennifer Biddix, Caldwell Heritage Museum; Keith Hindman, Communities in Schools of Caldwell County; Tina Triplett, Fort Defiance, Inc.; David Eggers and Kelly Melton, Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors
(back row l-r): Tyler Reese, Blue Ridge Energy Caldwell District Manager; Donyetta Gilmer, Shelter Home of Caldwell County, Inc; Becky Gibbons, The Wig Bank of Caldwell County; Jennifer Biddix, Caldwell Heritage Museum; Keith Hindman, Communities in Schools of Caldwell County; Tina Triplett, Fort Defiance, Inc.; David Eggers and Kelly Melton, Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors
Caldwell County citizens will benefit from seven grants worth $38,000 awarded recently to local helping agencies from Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation for the 2024 grant cycle.
The grants are examples of why Blue Ridge Energy established the Members Foundation in 2007 to support the work of community organizations providing services vital to the quality of life for the cooperative’s members. Since then, the Foundation has awarded over $1.84 million in community grants. Projects in the areas of health, wellness, education, youth, and economic and community development are the Foundation’s priorities for support.
A grand total of $150,000 was awarded to 20 organizations across the Blue Ridge Energy service area for the 2024 grant cycle. Local Caldwell County agencies receiving grant awards include:
- Caldwell Heritage Museum - a $1,000 grant will be used to develop/design a school curriculum that teaches and incorporates Caldwell County’s history. The curriculum will be divided into core curricular courses: art, music, and technology;
- Communities In Schools of Caldwell County – a $1,000 grant will assist students with multiple learning experiences in soft skill development and community service project-based learning;
- Fort Defiance, Inc. – $5,000 to assist in replacing the heating and air unit for the main house;
- Kings Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.- $5,000 grant to help purchase the
needed equipment to effectively and safely operate on emergency scenes involving electric
vehicles.
- Shelter Home of Caldwell County, Inc. - $10,000 to create a “safe space” for victims of rape and assault to receive non-judgmental, intimate services that will alleviate revictimization in an already overcrowded emergency room and to align support services to help the victim;
- The Mitford Museum - $10,000 to help fund The Mitford Discovery Center, a stand-alone facility across the street from the existing museum in Hudson, NC;
- The Wig Bank of Caldwell County - $8,000 to upgrade the heating and air system and enhance the energy efficiency of the historic home located on Mulberry Street.
In 2024, the Foundation also provided crisis funding assistance to more than 1,000 Blue Ridge Energy members who needed emergency help paying their electric and fuel bills. In 2024 and continuing into 2025, the Foundation will provide additional crisis energy assistance to members most affected by Hurricane Helene through our special Hurricane Helene Mountain Strong fund.
Funding for Foundation grants and crisis assistance comes from members participating in Blue Ridge Energy’s Operation Round Up® and Operation Round Up Plus® programs and an annual contribution from profits of the cooperative’s subsidiaries, Blue Ridge Energy, LLC, and RidgeLink, LLC. Over 23,500 members are either rounding up their monthly electric bill with Operation Round Up or adding a dollar or more with Operation Round Up Plus. Members also contribute by donating some or all of their annual capital credits.
Anyone with questions about the Foundation or agencies interested in applying for grants may contact Tasha Rountree, director of community relations, at 828-759-8994 or trountree@blueridgeenergy.com.
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative serving some 79,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties and parts of Wilkes, Avery, and Alexander counties. It also includes a propane heating fuels subsidiary and a business-to-business telecommunications subsidiary. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.