Sioux Valley Energy Donates Money to Hills, Minnesota

The city of Hills, Minnesota recently received a total of $10,000 in donations from Sioux Valley Energy to help with the purchasing of playground equipment. The funding will go to support a city-owned facility that houses up to three childcare locations.

An important part in childhood is the experience of play. To run around, be active, make friends, scrape knees and enjoy the great outdoors. In a world that seems dominated by electronic babysitters like TV, video games and cell phones, some think the lost art of playing on a playground is gone in the eyes of children.

Recently, the city of Hills has run into a problem with shortages of daycare opportunities for working families coming out of the pandemic.

“This project has been in the making for quite sometime. We can’t say thank you enough to our many local and corporate partners who have stepped up to help make this project a reality for us.” Said Mayor Kieth Elbers. “It is a long process but together with everyone’s help and the generosity of partners like Sioux Valley Energy, we are going to make this a reality for the city of Hills.”

Childcare doesn’t just impact life at home, it also affects the entire community.

“One of the Cooperative’s core principles is commitment to community, and this is the type of project that really embraces and highlights that.” Said Tim McCarthy, Sioux Valley Energy CEO. “We know that availability and affordability of childcare is a challenge, especially in smaller or more rural communities, and we stand ready to be strategic partners in finding solutions.”

The funding comes from the Cooperative’s Round Up program, where funds are collected when members “round up” their electric bill. A matching donation also comes from Sioux Valley Energy as a part of their REVIVE 2030 program which is designed to assist local communities with growth and development.

The funding was presented to the city of Hills at the end of December.