Energizer

A statewide newsletter for Citizens of Georgia Power and Company Management December 2012

State President’s

Message

Ashley Koby

“Lighting Up Lives For Fifty Years”

May you have a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. Please know that YOU have made the year brighter for all the people whose lives you have touched. On behalf of the State Office and Board, I thank you for all you do.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Safe andHappy New Year!

State Coordinator

It’s that time of year when you are lighting up lives more than ever! Throughout this issue, you’ll see happy charities accepting checks that you earned through the Chapter Matching Funds Program. These donations to local charities truly make us “A Citizen Wherever We Serve” in this time of economic hardship. Also, you’ll see many ways you are “lighting up” the faces of children during the holidays. There are many other ways you have continued our fifty-year tradition of helping others. Here are just a few:

• You are on track to report more than 77,000 hours of community service (a 10% increase over last year). These service hours are valued at more than $1,677,830!

• You granted 46 interest-free loans from ELF for a total of $ 92,000.

• You’ve helped children of deceased and disabled employees with more than $77,600 from Electric Kids, Inc.

• You provided over 320 nights lodging at the 5490 Highpoint Road and the Hemby House (that’s a conservative estimated benefit of $32,000).

• You funded a $2500 Georgia Power Scholarship.• You coordinated 61 projects and involved 1203

volunteers in Martin Luther King Day of Service projects.

• You coordinated 40 environmental projects for 586 volunteers for Earth Day.

• You participated in Relay For Life events at 42 locations to raise $ 215,414.

• You had volunteers participate in 13 March of Dimes events to raise $76,056.

• You donated an additional $200,000 to your communities.

• You provided $233,000 to charities in your locations through the Chapter Matching Funds Program.

• You have collected and donated over 100,000 pounds of food to local food banks and shelters.

• You’ve provided happy holidays to more than 2000 children.

• 3655 of you have joined this great organization during our Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration. This is the second largest membership.

• Your fundraising efforts have made it possible for us to increase benefits for Electric Kids beginning January 2013. You’ll hear more.

Stephanie and I wish you the very happiest of holidays. I know you will continue your great work in support of Josh Stallings and the 2013 State Board. As always, you have exceeded any goals set and increased last year’s totals. YOU are the greatest volunteers anywhere! I have been honored to represent you this year as State President.

Thank you!

Season

s

Greetin

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Lighting Up Lives AwardsCongratulations again to the chapters who won an awardduring 2012.

Athens GainesvilleAugusta GwinnettClayton Heart of Ga/MaconColumbus Jefferson StreetConyers Metro SouthCustomer Care Center Plant BowenDublin Plant YatesForest Park Valdosta

East Region Chapters Begin JointHospitality Project

As announced at Annual Meeting, beginning Dec.1 the chapters located in the East Region – Augusta, Thomson, Waynesboro, Plant Vogtle along with the Augusta Chapterof the Ambassadors – will visit and provide “goodie” bagsto employees, retirees and their families who are in areahospitals. We have many who are sent to Augusta areahospitals. The chapters will rotate months “on call” andvisit the family taking a bag of items that are useful whenstaying at the hospital along with contact numbers forquestions and information on local facilities, restaurants,hotels, transportation, etc.

How can you help with this project? If you know of an employees, retiree or family member sent to Augustafor medical care, please call 706-739-1498 to let us know.

South Cobb Chapter and Environmental Affairs Partner

The South Cobb Chapter partnered with employees inEnvironmental Affairs to collect $1,000 and adopt a family with four children, ages four to twelve. The groupwas able to buy bedding, jackets, shoes, clothing, toys, a bike, roller skates (and protective safety gear) and MP3 players for this family.

(left to right) Maria Padilla, Kristin Cooper, Leah Burch,Kamecha Sims, and Jessica Hardaway

The group above werehappy and excited togo shopping for the adopted family!

H L Thomas and Conyers Chapters partnered with

Metro East Golf Classic and also raffled a Green Egg to earn

$7829 for Electric Kids. Thanks!

This year, the Brunswick Chapter did something a little differently. The members made food boxes with everything needed to make an entire Thanksgiving meal! This is a great concept and people seem willing to help with whatever they can. They stuck to the “whole meal” theme but got lots of extra food that went to local food banks! They put together 15 complete meal boxes and 7 bags of food that were distributed to local charities through Faith Works Ministries and other church affiliates.

Brunswick

Lighting Up Lives With Chapter Matching Funds

Metro West Chapter

Metro West Region Manager Nicole Faulkand chapter treasurer David Stewart present$2500 to Carol Fey, Executive Director ofCommunities in Schools of Marietta/Cobb Co.

Heart of GA/Macon

Agnes Thompson (left) and ChapterPresident LaTonya Lawson ((right) present $2500 to the Dove Center (Macon RescueMission)

Plant Hammond Plant Hammond

(left to right) Nick Slappy, Kayla Mero, DianeWoodall, Tracy Hawkins, and Hardy Wheelessdelivered $2500 to the Down Syndrome Assn.

(left to right) Janet Spivey, Gretta Wilson,Kayla Mero and Carman Gibson delivered$2500 to Open Door Home in Rome.

Valdosta Valdosta

Chapter members present $2500 to the Children’s Advocacy Center

Chapter members present $2500 to Jacob’sLadder - a therapeutic riding center for peoplewith special needs.

Heart of GA/Macon

LaTonya Lawson presents $2500 to theAlzheimer’s Association on behalf of the chapter

Gainesville

Gainesville

Chapter members are seen making a $2500 donation to Challenged Child

Chapter members are seen making a $2500 donation to The Guest House

Augusta

Augusta

Jeff Butterworth of the chapter presents checkfor $2500 to Julie Miller, Executive Director ofColumbus County Community Connections

Jeff Butterworth of the chapter presents checkfor $2500 to Helen McVickery, Board Presidentof When Help Can’t Wait

Chapter President Mike Gresham with Archie Jenkins, Director of FORCE, Food Outreach Cooperative of Effingham which serves the 6 food banks of Effingham County.

Effingham

Chapter President Mike Gresham with Bonnie Dixon, Effingham United Way Director accepting the check for Hammers, Hearts and Hands program which builds wheelchair ramps for those in need in Effingham county. This money will be used to build a wheel chair ramp at a local stable that provides horse riding programs for injured veterans and special needs children in Effingham.

Chapter President Parker Land presents check for $2500 to Safe Homes

Thomson

Chapter President Parker Land presentscheck for $2500 to Ferst Foundation

Forest Park

Chapter Co-presidents Terry Bloodworth (left)and Brion LeShok (right) present check for $5000 to the Turner Syndrome Society.

Waynesboro

Wimberly House Director Nancy Minyard and board member Wayne Lively, center, accept a $2500 check from Georgia Power Area Manager Cam Parker, left, and Suzanne Sharkey, Waynesboro Chapter President

Athens ThomsonEffingham

Metro West

Metro West Citizen’s Tony Key presents Susan Worsley of Cherokee County’s Angel House a check for $2500.

Conyers

Lee Cronan, chapter president, presents the $5000 matching funds check to Ashley Roesler, director of Rockdale Emergency Relief

Gainesville

The Guest House is a nonprofit adult day health center in Gainesville that gives seniors a place to enjoy being with others and remain active throughout the day. One of our Georgia Power retirees volunteers there weekly teaching the woodshop class. (Pictured L to R: Tom Davino, Dana Chapman (Executive Director), Tommy Davis, Calvin Jones, Allison Zafft, Debbie Powell (Social Services Director)

Challenged Child and Friends offers a tailored and integrated experience where children with a variety of development delays and disabilities learn and grow in a full inclusion program with children who have typical development. (Pictured L to R: Calvin Jones, Tom Davino, Tommy Davis, Allison Zafft, and Dave Earnest (Executive Director)

Gainesville

Pam Jordan, chapter treasurer, at right and Brittany Spivey of the chapter at left present a $2,500 check to Richard Powers of “Richard’s Kids” which provides clothing to school-age children in need. He was very grateful for the donation and commented that the timing was perfect with their funds running so short during the holiday season.

Clayton

Athens

Cheryl Davis, Northeast Region Sales Manager and President of the Athens Chapter of Citizens of Georgia Power, and Christy Terrell, Region External Affairs Manager, presented Shea Post from the Athens Area Homeless shelter with a check for $2500 on 12/07/12. The Athens Chapter of Citizens donated the check to assist the shelter with the fine work they provide to the community

Marie Cline and Jonathan Ray of North GA Community Action accept $5000 check from Jimmy Thompson, Chapter 2nd Vice President and John Foust, Chapter Treasurer. This donation will go to assist the elderly with meals and weatherization across the 9 counties in the Northwest Mountain area.

South Cobb Chapter Presentations

Holly Adams, chapter secretary; Jessica Hardaway, chapter president; Gloria Mize, Past State President; Leah Burch, chapter treasurer and member of the State Board; along with Rickey Smith, management sponsor presented the $2500 checks to Col. Dan Zachman of the Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation (pictured at left) and Snyder Turner, Executive Director of Calvary Children’s Home (pictured at right)

Northwest Mountain

Kingsland Chapter Donation Highlighted in Local Paper

Other Chapter Matching Funds Presentations will be featured in January.

Heart of GA/Macon ChapterAnnual Christmas Party forNeedy Children

The Heart of Ga/Macon Chapter held their annual Christmas Party for needy children in their

community on December 8. They sponsored 28 children with $150.00 each for gifts from their

wish list. The kids had a full lunch with the members. Santa, Elf and the Grinch were also available for the occasion. Special guest was State Board member Todd McCawley. The

chapter also provided gifts to 8 children at the Dover Center (family of abused spouses).

Valdosta Chapter

Heart Walk

Valdosta Chapterhad a team at the Heart Walk. They raised $2968 andalso manned one ofthe water stations(shown at left)

The Valdosta Chapter sponsored a food drive for the Hungry at Home backpack project.  This project is one in which backpacks are sent home with needy children every weekend and returned to their school on Monday.  The purpose is to provide meals the children need on the weekend. 

Hungry at Home Backpack Project

Kingsland Chapter

The Kingsland Chapterreceived heart-felt

thanks from the motherof two with another onthe way for providing

a turkey and three boxesof food for Thanksgiving.

The chapter plans to help this family and

several others atChristmas. This is what

CGP is all about!

The Athens Chapter exceeded their goal of 750 lbs. of food for Hunger Bowl 2012. With everyone’s support they were able to contribute 893 lbs. of food to the Northeast Georgia Food Bank. These gifts will provide meals to children, seniors and working families that can’t afford food for the holidays.

Athens Chapter

Thomson

Chapter President Parker Land presents 175 pounds of food collected for Manna.

The Plant Hammond Chapter was able to donate 2,960 lbs of cans (about 2,800 cans) to food banks in Rome.  They donated about 1,876 cans to the Rome Community Soup Kitchen, 300 cans to the Hospitality House for battered women, and 624 cans to the girls and boys Open Door Home.  There were so many cans donated from Plant Hammond that they filled up the stock room at the Rome Soup Kitchen, filled the Hospitality House kitchen FULL, and filled both the girls and boys homes at the Open Door Home.  In total they raised $1,290 dollars for cans to be purchased, as well as two boxes of donated cans. 

Plant HammondCAN Hunger

Results

CCC’s 2012 CAN HUNGER CHALLENGE RESULTS

4707 poundsdonated to the local

food pantry“Helping in His Name”

Forest Park Chapter

delivers 20 lbs. of

pull tabs to the

Ronald McDonald

House

Diana Chow andTerry Bloodworth

General Office Chapter Donates

5481 lbs. forAtlanta Community

Food Bankthis year.

Gainesville

Gainesville Chapter hosted the “Competition Can Hunger” food drive benefiting the Georgia Mountain Food Bank.  Shelley Scarborough coordinated the overall effort for the chapter by creating a friendly competition between the Gainesville Operating HQ, Gainesville Business Office and the Jefferson, Winder, Cleveland and Dahlonega Offices.  These efforts resulted in 1,057 canned items donated to the Georgia Mountain Food Bank.  The winner of the competition was the Gainesville Operating HQ, and the overall winners were the families in the Northeast Georgia area that will be able to provide a healthy meal for their families with this assistance. 

The chapter partnered with Sam’s Club and the Georgia Mountain Food Bank to have a food drive at Sam’s one night and were able to gather over 500 pounds of food for the food bank

Brittany Spivey, 2013 Treasurer of the Clayton Chapter, is shown below with Christmas baskets that she and her mother, Kristi Matheson who is also a member of the chapter, prepared for the residents of FAITH This is a shelter for abused women and their children. Brittany and Kristi filled the baskets with items donated by the chapter members which included pajamas, hats, scarves, gloves, toiletries and other items that the residents will find useful during the holiday season.

Clayton Augusta ChapterAdopts

73 Salvation Army Angels

Below are pictures from the Evansand Walton Way offices of some of the employees who helped with the Angel Tree Project. Wendy Brownwas chair for the project.

WaltonWay

Evans

Gainesville sponsored a family through the Angel Tree program with Salvation Army as they do every year. The effort this year was lead by Margaret Rios. They also will be volunteering at the distribution day to deliver the gifts along with meals to hundreds of families in need in the Gainesville area on Saturday the 15th. (Pictured L to R: Cathy Parker, Jena Moorhead, Monica Ash, Carolina Del-Rio, Margaret Rios, Philip Burt, Kristi Barker, and LuAnne Keck)

Gainesville

Jamie Cheek with the Augusta Chapter presents Ed Heffernan, Treasurer of The Comfort House, with a check for $930.00.  This was part of the chapter’s year-end disbursement.

Augusta

Salvation Army’s Angel Tree

241 Ralph McGill Blvd., 30 Ivan Allen, Forest Park, Southern LINC, Metro East,

Jefferson Street &Customer Care Center

Citizens of Georgia Power has been a proud sponsor of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program since 1994. This year, the 7 locations listed above have adopted 650 angels in one of our largest participating years in the metro area. Our efforts will provide toys and clothes for children in need. The Angels are real children living at or below 150% of the federal index poverty level who would not normally get gifts under the tree. Thanks to the generosity of our employees in putting smiles on the faces of 650 children and their families.

This year’s chair, Kristi Dow, is seen making sure the packages at 241 Ralph McGill are secure and angels’names are in place.Below photo shows the 262 angel gifts

from corporate.

Billie Jo Driggers,Sara Sullivan,

Terri Sapp with Jefferson Street gifts.

Salvation Army truckloaded with gifts

from theCustomer Care Center

Some of the toy donations from the Forest Park Chapter are shown above

Christmas Lights Shine on Jefferson Street Project

Members of the Jefferson Street Chapter volunteered at PAWS Animal Shelter in Decaturon November 15. They had a wonderful time socializing the dogs and playing with the kitties.It’s important to remember the animals who don’t have a family! PAWS is a champion for animals – rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, sheltering and adopting homeless cats and dogs, and educating people to make a better world for all.

Front row left to right: Terri Sapp, Steve Woerner, Billie Jo Driggers, Sara SullivanBack row left to right: Kelly Marona, Scott Long, Cathy den Boer, Kelly White, Thomas McCracken

Sara Sullivan with playful kitties

Thomas McCracken, Kelly Marona, Steve Woerner andScott Long with pups

Kelly White with Tegan, a lab mix

Terri Sapp with kitten

General Office ChapterDecorates Manley House

for the Holidays!

On December 6 , members of the General Office Chapter took their lunch hour to decorate the Mary Ann ManleyHouse located at Atlanta Medical Center. They were Joined by Tonya Wilson, wife of Executive Vice PresidentAnthony Wilson. Past State President Angela Gillis wasthe project chair.

Some of Santa’s Helpers were front row: Mary Norris, Angela Gillis, Leah Burch and back row: Tonya Wilson, Zann Hayes, Jim Hodges, Danna Clary

Peggy Grubband

Angela Gillishang window

garland inupstairs den

Tonya Wilson readiesdoor wreath for hanging

Leah Burch places garland on porch balcony

There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish together. Did you know that …

Together the shingles make the roof. Together the bricks make the

foundation. Together the trees make the forest. Together the tiny drops of water

make Niagara Falls.

Together we are Citizens of Georgia Power …

“Lighting Up Lives for Fifty Years”.

Wishing YOU a Merry Christmas and a Safe, Happy New Year

Columbus

The Columbus Chapter hosted the annual Breakfast With Santa on Saturday, December 8. There were around 50 kids and adults who came to partake in the morning’s festivities. The participants began their morning with a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast followed by an assortment of games, arts and crafts. The kids also got to meet and pose for pictures with Santa Claus. Special thanks to Lynn Reckart, Greg Smith and a host of other volunteers who made this event a success.