Funding Community Improvements

ORU Grants Supply Locks for Mission Center, New Courts for Geneva

Geneva upgraded its basketball and tennis courts, adding new pickleball courts for students and residents to use. The Christian Mission Center in Enterprise purchased and installed new magnetic door-locking systems at its main campus.

Both projects were made possible by Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s (WEC) Operation Round Up grant program.

The City of Geneva Parks and Recreation Director Jay Howell says a $10,000 grant from the Operation Round Up Foundation allowed the city to resurface the public courts located next to Geneva High School, as well as fix the surrounding fencing and gates. The city also installed new LED lighting around the courts.

“The school uses them almost every day,” Howell says. “We’re so restricted on gym space in Geneva, and so the high school and junior high school come out to do basketball practice.”

The public courts feature 4 basketball courts, 2 tennis courts, and 6 pickleball courts.

Geneva Mayor David Hayes says public reaction has been positive. There are groups of pickleball players who come to use the courts regularly, he says.

“Everybody likes to come out and do things, and we’re just trying to offer more things for our people to do,” Hayes says.

Enhanced Security

The Christian Mission Center used its $6,500 ORU grant, along with funding from another grant source, to make its buildings more secure with the magnetic locking systems. The center was able to outfit its high-traffic doors for its kitchen and main facility in Enterprise.

“Last year, we sat down and were trying to think of what our needs were for 2025,” Christian Mission Center Executive Director Amanda Simmons says. “1 of the things that just really kept on popping up is to look at our security, how we have our campus laid out, and how well we’re protecting the people that are on-site.”

The Christian Mission Center is a faith-based organization that provides meals as well as shelter and a recovery program. The center works with people for 4 to 6 months with the goal that once people leave the shelter, they have their own place to live, a job, and know how to budget their money.

Without the ORU grant funding, paying for the new locking systems would not have been possible, Simmons says.

“We’re not federally funded, and we’re not state funded at all, so our budget comes from grants and from the revenue from the bargain store and contributions,” she says.

WEC Vice President of Member Services and Communication Stevie Sauls says roughly 88% of cooperative members round up their monthly bills to the nearest dollar for Operation Round Up. Money also comes from a charitable golf tournament started 4 years ago.

ORU funds stay in the Wiregrass, Sauls says.

“We’re grateful to be able to do that and certainly couldn’t do it without the support of our members, board of trustees, and our CEO, Brad Kimbro,” Sauls says.