Meeker Energy’s Operation Round Up® program demonstrates how small contributions can lead to meaningful, lasting impact. By voluntarily rounding up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar, participating members help create a pool of funds that is reinvested directly into local communities. Employees may also choose to round down their paychecks. Those extra cents are combined and distributed as grants to nonprofit organizations that preserve local history, strengthen education, and enhance quality of life throughout Meeker County.
One recent recipient of an Operation Round Up grant is the Little Red Schoolhouse, a beloved historical landmark that continues to serve as a bridge between generations. Located near Litchfield, the Little Red Schoolhouse is dedicated to preserving and sharing the story of rural education. Its mission is to protect the legacy of one-room schoolhouses and ensure future generations understand how students once learned, lived, and connected within their communities.
“This schoolhouse is more than a building,” said Lorie Danielson, board member of the Little Red Schoolhouse. “It represents how education used to look in rural communities and reminds us how far education has come. If we don’t preserve places like this, that history is simply lost.”
The schoolhouse plays an active role in the community today, serving as a living classroom for students and a gathering place for residents. Each spring and fall, the Little Red Schoolhouse hosts field trips for area schools and community education groups. Students experience a hands-on “day in the life” of a country school, complete with period lessons, artifacts, and traditions that help them better understand early education in Minnesota.
“There’s something powerful about students sitting at old desks, handling real artifacts, and imagining what school was like more than a century ago,” Danielson shared. “It helps make history tangible in a way textbooks alone can’t.”
In addition to field trips, the schoolhouse hosts community events throughout the year, including picnics, craft fairs, and seasonal gatherings. These events allow families and visitors to connect with local history while supporting the ongoing preservation of the site.
As a nonprofit organization, the Little Red Schoolhouse relies entirely on donations, grants, and volunteer support. Funding is essential not only for programming but also for maintaining the historic structure itself. Without that support, preservation and upkeep would not be possible.
The Operation Round Up grant from Meeker Energy is helping fund a significant preservation project at the schoolhouse. The grant will be used to replace six front porch pillars and complete restoration work on the bell tower, ensuring the structure remains safe while staying true to its original appearance. Work on the project is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2026.
“This grant allows us to take on projects that would otherwise take years to fund,” said Danielson. “The work being done will maintain the original character of the schoolhouse while ensuring it can continue welcoming students and visitors for many years to come.”
Preservation efforts like these are especially important given the region’s history. By the 1960s, all rural one-room schools in Meeker County had either closed or been consolidated. The Little Red Schoolhouse stands as one of the few remaining physical reminders of that era, offering the community a rare opportunity to step back in time.
The impact of the schoolhouse is often best seen through the reactions of students during field trips. Many leave saying they wish they could attend school there every day. One memorable moment came when a young student, after seeing artifacts from the early 1900s, asked a volunteer, “Are you Laura Ingalls?”
“That kind of reaction tells us we’re doing something right,” Danielson said. “When kids are that engaged, history becomes real for them.”
For Meeker Energy members who participate in Operation Round Up, Danielson hopes they understand just how meaningful their small monthly contributions can be.
“Those few cents really do add up,” she said. “Because the grants stay local, members can actually see the impact of their generosity. In our case, it helps preserve a piece of Meeker County history that belongs to everyone.” Since its inception, Meeker Energy’s Operation Round Up program has distributed thousands of dollars to nonprofits and community organizations across the service area. Each grant represents the collective power of members working together to strengthen their communities, preserve local heritage, and support opportunities for future generations.
