Mobile APSO provides backpacks and school supplies to Monroe County students
Every summer before the beginning of the school year, Mobile Division Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) volunteers support students heading back to school.
This summer was no different.
“Alabama Power truly believes in education,” said Chris Mayfield, Alabama Power economic development representative and Mobile Division president for APSO. “Education is the foundation for our next generation. The more resources that are available to our students, the better off they and our community will be long-term.”
The APSO Mobile chapter collected school supplies for Brittany Dinc, a customer account specialist and APSO board member of the Monroe Chapter, to hand out at the J.U. Blacksher School back-to-school drive open house in her rural community of Uriah.
Dinc, alongside APSO volunteers, set up a booth and packed school supplies into clear backpacks at the school’s open house on Aug. 3. Supplies included folders, crayons, pre-sharpened pencils, glue sticks, clear pouches, lunch boxes and pencil pouches. Tables were set up for the students who wanted a free backpack and supplies on a first-come, first-served basis during the open house.
APSO Mobile volunteers supported the back-to-school drive at J.U. Blacksher in Uriah, Alabama, on August 3. (Brittany Dinc)
“This is my first back-to-school drive at Blacksher School, and seeing the impact of this firsthand is moving,” Dinc said. “There are some grandparents here raising their grandchildren, and hearing them express how much financial relief we have provided is such a good feeling. I have a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of the people in my community and beyond.”
For Dinc, this back-to-school project held deep personal value. She graduated from Blacksher School where her two daughters are students and fondly remembers being named Miss Blacksher during her senior year.
APSO also supported Alabama Power employees and community relations managers who partnered with 501(c)(3) nonprofits needing back-to-school supplies. APSO provided the volunteers with gift boxes and school supplies, which they donated to local nonprofit organizations on APSO’s behalf.
Mobile APSO serves six southwest Alabama counties: Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington.
Alabama Power Service Organization brings together employees and their families who believe making a difference goes beyond financial support. With nine active chapters across Alabama, APSO members volunteer their time to support local communities where they live and work. In 2025, volunteers contributed an average of nearly four hours per person, proving that philanthropy is not only about dollars given, but about showing up and giving time where it matters most.