Alabama Power Service Organization makes an impact on three west Alabama communities in one day
Company retirees also joined in the Day of Service.
Alabama Power volunteers helped make two west Alabama parks more beautiful and took a bite out of food insecurity in the region during a Day of Service this week.
More than 60 members of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) took part in the event, designed to make a difference in the western part of the state. Volunteers included APSO state leaders and members of Western Division APSO, which hosted the event.
“We were so excited to be hosting the leadership Day of Service,” said Diane Brooker, an Alabama Power community relations manager based in Demopolis and president of the Western Division APSO Chapter.
“We know that there are important projects all over Alabama that make a huge impact on communities, so we are very grateful to have volunteers to support us here in this part of the state,” Brooker said.
Nearly three dozen APSO members traveled to Greensboro, in Hale County, to help clean and beautify Lions Park. The volunteers pressure-washed and repainted the park’s entrance gates, trimmed hedges, planted shrubs and flowers, and installed four picnic tables.
Another group of APSO volunteers headed to Epes Town Park in Sumter County. About 20 volunteers cleaned around the playground and along the park’s walking trails, weeded and freshened up garden beds, installed new trellises and conducted other needed landscaping. Volunteers also painted the bleachers at the baseball field and installed additional raised beds for a community garden.
A third group gathered at the West Alabama Food Bank in Tuscaloosa. The group included APSO members and volunteers from the Energizers, made up of Alabama Power retirees. The volunteers organized and sorted food donations and completed other tasks. In just two hours, the volunteers packed 780 meals for the Secret Meals program, which distributes meals to 2,000 students in the area who do not have food on the weekends when school is out.
Brooker said the projects in Epes and Greensboro were designed to support Black Belt communities where resources are often limited. And the project at the West Alabama Food Bank “was a great way for us to partner with our company’s retirees to support a cause that helps so many people across our entire division.”
Brooker added, “It’s been great to have a day where we all come together to focus on our mission to elevate our communities. I greatly appreciate our APSO members for making this happen in west Alabama.”
APSO is comprised of nearly 6,300 Alabama Power employees, including employees of Southern Company and Southern Nuclear in Alabama, and their families. There are nine APSO chapters statewide.
The Energizers, with more than 900 retirees and spouses as members, also have nine chapters across Alabama. Combined, APSO and Energizers members contributed nearly 50,000 volunteer hours to nonprofits and communities across the state in 2022.
“The annual day of service exemplifies the power of teamwork,” said Amanda Lofton, APSO state board president.
“APSO volunteers come together to create a lasting impact. Through the collective collaboration of members from all our APSO chapters, we’re working to help others, and transform communities,” Lofton said.
To learn more about Alabama Power employee and retiree volunteerism, visit powerofgood.com and click on “Volunteers.”
Danielle Kimbrough, Ben Marsh and Andrew Rhodes contributed to this story.