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 2011, over 2,400 employees served over 61,000 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 2011, they helped 12 organizations raise in excess of $900,000.

Exelon employees also pledged over $4 million in 2011 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 2012 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 100 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. 

2012 Employee Volunteer Award Winners

 (left to right)  - Jeffrey H. Jacobson, co-founder of Wills for Heroes Foundation, Excellence Award winner Margarita Llamas-Odom and Chris Crane, Exelon's President and CEO at the Exelon Energy for the Community Employee Volunteer Awards.

2012 Excellence Award Winners

Margarita Llamas-Odom, legal coordinator at Exelon's Business Service Company at Chicago Headquarters, received the company-wide first place Excellence Award on behalf of the Wills for Heroes Foundation (WHF).  Llamas-Odom has provided free estate planning advice and power of attorney services to nearly 1,000 first responders and their significant others as a volunteer for the WFH. The foundation was created in response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when hundreds of first responders died without any estate plans as part of their wills. Llamas-Odom serves as a liaison with the Chicago police and fire departments and local suburban departments. Because of her outreach, the waiting list for estate planning services quickly grew to 1,200. To meet that need, she asked Exelon to partner with the Chicago Bar Association and the law firm Jenner & Block. Almost a year later, the waiting list no longer exists.

2012 Achievement Award Winners

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

• Michael Harkins, maintenance technician at Peach Bottom, has been a trusted and valued member of the Darlington Volunteer Fire Department for more than 20 years. He is currently a member of the board of directors and is responsible for maintenance on all fire and EMS vehicles, a role he has taken on voluntarily and one that saves the fire company approximately $100,000 annually by keeping maintenance in-house. 
• Kevin Manson, crew leader at ComEd, has volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Will County since 2009. Manson volunteers as a safe and caring adult who helps guide each child through the legal process and the process of being placed in a new home. CASA volunteers attend court hearings and follow each case closely until it closes and the child welfare team is able to find safe, permanent homes for the children.
• Ray Pugh, manager of gas methods and training and the George Haggar Fire Academy, has been saving lives and protecting property as a volunteer with the Newton Fire Association since 1968. Pugh’s current responsibilities include transporting the volunteer crew to emergency locations and ensuring all personnel have the proper tools and safety equipment. He’s also volunteered with the PECO Fire School, where he has organized training sessions focused on handling electrical and gas emergencies. 
• David Schury, area operator at ComEd, is recognized for his work with Tragedy to Triumph – a foundation he created in 2010 that provides college scholarships to young burn survivors. Over the last two years, the foundation raised more than $70,000 to fund a number of scholarships. Schury also volunteers one week every year at “Burn Camp” and provides support to burn patients recovering at Loyola Hospital.
• Laura Weber, senior chemist at Three Mile Island, has held almost every conceivable role in 23 years as a Girl Scout volunteer. Weber served nearly 300 hours with the Girl Scouts in Pennsylvania, where she volunteered as a troop leader, council delegate, service team registrar and event coordinator. With the help of her co-workers, Weber created a Nuclear Science and Technology Interest Patch workshop at the TMI Training Center.

 

2012 Merit Award Winners

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

• April Evans, customer service representative at ComEd’s Oak Brook call center, has been a volunteer with Olympia Terrace Youth Association since 2006. She teaches important life skills to underprivileged children in Chicago Heights, Ill., through structured baseball and softball programs. Evans recruits adults to mentor and teach the kids social and leadership skills, conflict management and good sportsmanship. She has served as vice president since 2008 and volunteered 600 hours last year.  
• Gerald Flynn, senior safety specialist at PECO, has been a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania for more than four years. Flynn spends nearly five hours every Tuesday with his little brother Justus, providing him one-to-one mentoring. Flynn works with Justus to help him understand the importance of making good decisions and to avoid being overwhelmed by peer pressure or engaging in dangerous behaviors. Today, Justus’ family considers Flynn a friend and role model.
• John Gallaher, senior supply analyst at Exelon's Business Service Company at Chicago's Headquarters, has served as a volunteer with the Cecil County 4-H Summer Camp Program for more than four years. Gallaher works with the camp staff to plan and prepare for the week-long overnight camp and to develop counselor training sessions. He also takes an active role working with the teen counselors to help them achieve all their accreditation requirements. During the camp, Gallaher relies on his professional background and teaches courses on computers and science. 
• Kristine Gregory, cyber security analyst at Exelon Nuclear, began volunteering for the Forest Preserve District of Will County, Illinois, two years ago. She serves as the eyes and ears of the forest preserve police by deterring criminal activity and keeping the trails safe. Gregory also volunteers with the operations department by handling cleanups and identifying safety hazards throughout the forest preserve. Additionally, Gregory spends time teaching environmental education and conservation to children throughout Will County.
• Mike Hayworth, senior emergency preparedness specialist at Exelon Nuclear, has volunteered for Grundy Area Public Action to Deliver Sustenance (P.A.D.S.) for three years. Hayworth volunteers overnight once a week at the organization’s location in Morris, Ill., where he serves local residents who come to the facility in need of shelter and food. In three years, he has become an indispensable asset to the P.A.D.S. staff by preparing food, offering transportation and providing friendship – at all hours – to those in need.
• Michael Wilburn, production technician III at Mountain Creek Power Station in Texas, began volunteering with the USO after his son joined the Marine Corps more than five years ago. Wilburn staffs the USO Center at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, where he escorts soldiers and assists families of fallen soldiers traveling through Dallas. Last year, he started his own fundraiser, Whiskers for Wounded Warriors, by growing a beard and recruiting followers who donate to the USO-Wounded Warriors Program if he continues growing his beard.