Exelon’s Energy for the Community

Exelon has a strong tradition of involvement in programs administered by organizations and institutions in the communities that we serve and where we work. The four areas of focus for our hands-on involvement are education, the environment, community development and the arts. The goal is to improve the quality of life for the people who live and work in our service territory and around our power plants.

Contributions of Time and Money

In 2010, over 2,000 employees served nearly 66,000 hours as volunteers at various organizations in our service areas. The company supports employee volunteers by helping them find community service opportunities, recognizing and rewarding their work, and providing grants to the nonprofit organizations through our Dollars for Doers program. 

Our senior management team and other employees serve on the boards of more than 350 nonprofit organizations throughout the Chicago and Philadelphia areas. In 2010, they helped 12 organizations raise in excess of $900,000

Exelon employees also pledged $4 million in 2010 toward the annual United Way campaign.

Volunteer Engagement

Exelon’s employee volunteer engagement program is called “Energy for the Community.” This program is designed to help our employees practice the company’s community service values through volunteerism.  Employees can easily find and sign up for service projects in their area of interest or near where they live.

Through Exelon’s Energy for the Community Employee Volunteer Awards and Dollars for Doers program, we give employees an incentive to volunteer by rewarding their commitment with corporate donations to the organizations they work with.

Energizing National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is an annual, nationwide observance of individuals’ and organizations’ contributions to their communities. The 2011 National Volunteer Week program empowered employee volunteers to design their own service projects and recruit colleagues. Employees from every Exelon operating company participated in more than 90 community service projects, choosing to concentrate on environmental projects that support the company’s Exelon 2020 low-carbon strategy and goals and diversity-focused opportunities to support the company's diversity value.

Dollars for Doers

Exelon’s Dollars for Doers program rewards service through grants to the organizations where employees volunteer. Employees who volunteer 25 hours or more at a single nonprofit organization in one year can apply for a $250 grant for that organization. Exelon doubles grants for those volunteering at environmental organizations in order to support the  Exelon 2020 goal of helping our communities reduce their carbon footprints.

Recognizing Employee Volunteerism

The Energy for the Community Employee Volunteer Awards rewards Exelon employees for outstanding dedication and commitment to community service.  Exelon provides a total of $100,000 in grants to 12 organizations to honor employees who understand the meaning of giving back to the community.  To be eligible, employees must have volunteered at least 50 hours in the past year. Applications are judged by an external review committee and the 12 winners are announced during National Volunteer Week. 

2011 Employee Volunteer Award Winners

 (left to right)  - Sonny Garg, President of Exelon Power, Roseann Kirlin and Excellence Award winner Joseph Kirlin at the Exelon Energy for the Community Employee Volunteer Awards.

2011 Excellence Award Winners

Joseph Kirlin, maintenance technician at Exelon Generation in Pennsylvania, received the company-wide first place Excellence Award on behalf of the Katie Kirlin Fund.  Joseph and his wife Roseann established The Katie Kirlin Fund in 1990, after their daughter died following a two-year battle with a rare cancer affecting her spinal cord.  Katie had the tumor removed when she was 10, but was left paralyzed from the waist down. During her rehabilitation, Joseph and Roseann introduced Katie to wheelchair sports.  The activity gave Katie a sense of accomplishment and identity. She went on to win medals in racing, swimming and track while battling her cancer.

After Katie’s passing, they created The Katie Kirlin Fund to provide financial support to other children who want to compete in wheelchair sports. Over the last 21 years, The Katie Kirlin Fund has provided grants to purchase specially designed wheelchairs, sponsored wheelchair sporting events, provided lodging and travel expenses for wheelchair sports teams and provided grants to support wheelchair sports programs at rehabilitation hospitals and camps.  The Katie Kirlin Fund received a $20,000 contribution from Exelon in recognition of Joseph's efforts.

2011 Achievement Award Winners

Each of the following organizations received a $10,000 donation from Exelon in honor of its employees’ commitment to service.

• Robert Bowen, human resources manager at Exelon's Business Services Company at Chicago’s headquarters, has been a role model for 25 years in various positions with the Boy Scouts in Will, Kankakee and Grundy counties. Bowen currently serves as the Rainbow Council’s first commodore and is responsible for strategic planning, fundraising and expanding programming for the 8,000 scouts and 2,200 adult volunteers. He is developing a juvenile diversion program to provide boys charged with a crime an alternative to punitive correction and is implementing a diversity appreciation program.
• Art Chavez, senior business analyst at ComEd, is making dreams come true for children and their families as a wish granter with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois. Since joining in 2006, Chavez has made 22 wishes a reality -- ranging from home redecorations to Disney World trips. As a goodwill ambassador for Make-A-Wish working with Chicago’s Latino community, he uses his bilingual skills to expand the organization’s reach and recruit more volunteers. Additionally, Chavez is the west region chair for the Exelon Militaries Actively Connected (EMAC) employee network group.
• Kevin Stepanuk, associate general counsel with Exelon’s Business Service Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began providing pro bono legal services to the Philadelphia Bar Foundation in 1999. Stepanuk uses his skills as a negotiator, analytical listener and problem solver to provide needed legal assistance to local nonprofits that rely on the Philadelphia Bar Foundation. Last year, Stepanuk led the East’s Legal Department in the number of pro bono hours donated. Stepanuk also has served as Exelon’s pro bono coordinator (2005-2008). During that time, he more than doubled the number of Exelon employees who donated pro bono services to the foundation. 
• Keith Thomas, senior training specialist with PECO in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been saving lives and protecting property as a volunteer with the Springfield Fire Company for 42 years; last year alone, he served 535 hours in his current role as captain. Thomas leads other volunteers during emergency calls, trains personnel and prepares equipment. Additionally, Thomas serves as Springfield Township’s deputy fire marshal, taking the lead on fire investigations and is responsible for investigating the cause of fires. During his years of service, Thomas has been a first-responder to more than 11,000 incidents.
• Wendy Willett, senior financial analyst with ComEd, has volunteered the last two years at Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center, where she raises funds to assist children who are victims of physical and sexual abuse. Willett is a member of the Shining Stars Friends Board. She plans and executes fundraisers throughout the year and helps the organization raise awareness of its activities in Lee and Ogle counties. Last year, Willett successfully led two major fundraisers, Champions 4 Children Walk and the Shining Stars annual golf outing.

 

2011 Merit Award Winners

Each of the following organizations received a $5,000 donation from Exelon in honor of its employees’ commitment to service.

• Francisco Cleaves, director of Mid-Atlantic business operations at Exelon Generation in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, volunteers with Central American Relief Effort, providing medical assistance to poverty-stricken communities in Honduras. Cleaves joined a medical brigade that focuses on providing eye and dental screenings to children and translation assistance. He has led discussions with officials to lay the groundwork for decentralization of local health services. 
• Rigoberto Espinoza, senior engineer at ComEd, has been a board member of the Noble Network of Charter Schools since 2009. Espinoza works closely with Noble’s Right Angle Program, which sends students on summer visits to college campuses to spur their successful college enrollments.  As a graduate of the program, Espinoza works directly with local students as a mentor to recruit them to the program. 
• Dana Gleason, senior executive administrative coordinator with Exelon’s Business Service’s Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has volunteered as the director at the Spoken Word Evangelistic Church (SWEC) Food Pantry since 2006. Under her leadership, SWEC fed more than 3,000 families last year and made emergency food deliveries seven days a week. Gleason develops the guidelines to oversee the pantry, solicits volunteers to deliver the food and handles the monthly inventory.  
• Jeremy McNabb, security officer at Exelon Generation in Morris, Illinois, has volunteered for more than two decades with Illinois Valley Industries, where he coaches and organizes sports for adults with developmental disabilities. His training focuses on improved performance, social interaction and developing sportsmanship in his athletes. McNabb coaches three Special Olympic sports and has coached 25 competitors to the state level. 
• John Prueitt, project manager at ComEd, serves as the treasurer of the executive board of Humboldt Park Social Services (HPSS), where he provides financial direction to the organization. Prueitt first joined HPSS 15 years ago, serving meals to the homeless. He has spent the last five years as a board member, including the last three as treasurer. 
• Richard Purdie, maintenance planner at Exelon Generation in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, founded Mantua Haverford Community Center (MHCC) in 1991, to provide childcare and after-school programming to at-risk students. MHCC is one of the only centers in the area to provide around-the-clock childcare and academic-learning programs.  Purdie focuses on providing tutoring and computer skills training for young adults.