The Progress
The Round Up for Education continues. At the big rivalry football game on Friday night in Moapa Valley, representatives from Overton Power District #5 (OPD5) will be presenting checks to school administrators in both Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley.
But it isn’t actually OPD5 that is providing these generous funds. Rather it is OPD5 customers who have signed up to “round up” their power bills to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to the school community of their choice.
The Round Up for Education program has been going on for nearly 8 years now. And the program has grown little by little as more people have joined the Round Up.
“It is important to note here that OPD5 is not the one making these donations,” said OPD spokesman Keith Buchhalter. “We have just set it up in our system so that we can be a vehicle for people to voluntarily sign up. Then each year we make a donation on behalf of our participating customers.”
This year, the amount on each check is particularly high. That is because it represents two years of the Round Up, not just one. The district was unable to make a presentation last year because of the COVID-19 health restrictions. So the small-change donations just continued to accumulate throughout a second year until the presentations could be made.
The Virgin Valley community will come out slightly ahead this year, receiving a check in the amount of $2,946.93. The check for Moapa Valley will be for $2,678.33 this year.
VVHS principal Riley Frei said that he was grateful to live in a community where schools are such a top priority for so many people.
“(This program) is the perfect example of how we can all do a little and ultimately make a huge impact in the lives of our youth,” Frei said. “Less than one dollar a month seems like a relatively small contribution for an individual, but multiply that by thousands of contributors and the numbers are staggering.”
Frei emphasized that the donations come directly to the school as unrestricted funds, meaning they are not part of the CCSD budget. Thus they can be used by the school as best needed for the kids.
“We are able to do and buy things to supplement education and extracurricular programs precisely when and where we need it most,” Frei said. “It’s simply wonderful!”
MVHS Principal Hal Mortensen said that athletic programs at his school have felt the crunch of last year’s lost season and of having an entire year without gate receipts for sporting events.
“The Round Up program will provide much needed assistance for the MVHS athletic programs,” he said.
Mortensen explained that in past years, the Round Up for Education funds had gone to buy touchscreen displays in the new gym foyer and in the main hallway of the high school. These displays give access to every yearbook from 1942 to 2015 to students and the community at the touch of a finger. Also available in that database are MVHS Hall of Fame inductees, record boards, alumni who became college athletes, athletic teams, cheer, dance, student council and clubs.
“We are grateful for OPD5 and all those who have signed up for the program and the support it gives to our high school athletic programs,” Mortensen said.
OPD5 General Manager Mendis Cooper was appreciative to the community for supporting the Round Up For Education program over the years.
“I express gratitude to all who participate in the round-up for education program,” Cooper said. “You are supporting the future leaders and decision-makers for our communities. If you haven’t signed up for the program, I encourage you to do so. Round-up for education is a great program that costs less than a dollar per month and OPD5 passes on 100% of your donation to the schools.”
Signing up for the program is simple. OPD5 customers can simply call the OPD5 office at 702-397-2512 in Overton, or at 702-346-5710 in Mesquite or stop by the local office in person.
Let the customer service representative know that you want to have your power bill rounded up to the nearest dollar each month and tell them to which school the difference should be donated.
To make it even simpler, OPD5 representatives will be at the MVHS Booster Culb booth at the game this Friday night at 7 pm in the MVHS Jeff Keel stadium. Fans of either team can stop by and sign up for the Round Up For Education program, all in one place.
