Alabama Power Service Organization marks 30 years with 30 community projects

Alabama Power volunteers are celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) and its mission of supporting communities by taking on 30 projects across the state during the 30 days of November.

“For 30 years, the Alabama Power Service Organization has helped meet the needs of Alabamians by supporting nonprofits and community organizations all across our state,” said Marsha Morgan, APSO executive director. “Even during the ongoing pandemic, APSO chapters across Alabama have found ways to help others.”

“We’re so excited to celebrate 30 years of service during these 30 days of November,” added Jacki Lowry, APSO state board president. “Our mission is to make a difference in our communities, and our volunteers are doing it every day – for a better Alabama.”

Here’s just a sampling of the community projects taking place all through November:

• In the Mobile area, volunteers will provide turkeys and hams for holiday meals to several nonprofits, including Wilmer Hall, a home for children and women who have been abused, neglected or are homeless; Penelope House, a home for women and children who have experienced domestic violence; and Boat People SOS, which serves Vietnamese families in Bayou La Batre. Volunteers will also be participating and supporting fundraising for a local Heart Walk and providing volunteer support for a veterans’ home.
• In east Alabama, volunteers will be supporting the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama by handing out food boxes at a food distribution site. Volunteers are also delivering meals to needy families in Sylacauga in coordination with the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement (SAFE). Also, volunteers are collecting and packaging needed items and small holiday gifts to provide to nursing home residents.

An APSO volunteer works at Community Kitchens in 2017. (contributed)

APSO volunteers gather at Helen Wood Park for a Mobile Bay reef restoration project in 2018. (Mike Kittrell)

APSO volunteer Varnestra Jones shows how the Little Library works. APSO volunteers stocked the miniature libraries with books. (Meg McKinney)

APSO volunteers bearing gifts for an Angel Tree program. (contributed)

An APSO volunteer reads to a class. (contributed)

APSO volunteers paint a mural for ARC. (contributed)

Alabama Power Service Organization volunteers serve their communities in a variety of ways, year in and year out. (contributed)

Alabama Power Service Organization volunteers serve their communities in a variety of ways, year in and year out. (contributed)

• In Tuscaloosa, volunteers are participating in the annual Tinsel Trail project, which benefits Tuscaloosa’s One Place family resource center. Volunteers will decorate a Christmas tree with the theme, “Keeping the Lights on for Our Customers,” paying tribute to the company’s distribution, transmission and substation crews. All proceeds from nearly 200 Christmas trees will be put on display and support One Place.
• APSO members from Alabama Power’s Plant Barry chapter have several projects in store, including supporting the Mobile area Walk to End Alzheimer’s and Adopt-A-Soldier in commemoration of Veterans Day. The chapter is also hosting a golf tournament to purchase holiday gifts for children and teens in foster care, in coordination with the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
• In the Birmingham area, volunteers are putting together Christmas stockings to provide to newborn babies and their families at Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital, with support of company volunteers from across the state. Other projects will support the Central Alabama Sickle Cell Foundation, Smile-A-Mile, which supports families dealing with childhood cancer, and United Ability, serving children and adults with disabilities.
• APSO chapters in central and southeast Alabama will be lending a hand to a variety of organizations, including Sabra Sanctuary, which supports victims of domestic violence, TIME Youth Dothan, which provides mentoring, literacy and skills training for young people, and Family Services Center – Barbour. Volunteers will be supporting Farm Day events in Elmore and Autauga counties.

An APSO volunteer reads to a class in 2018. (contributed)

An APSO volunteer works with children to create a butterfly sanctuary. (contributed)

APSO volunteers work on a butterfly sanctuary in 2016. (contributed)

An APSO volunteer works on a Habitat for Humanity house. (contributed)

APSO volunteers work at Ronald McDonald House. (contributed)

APSO volunteers participate in a bag-stuffing event. (contributed)

APSO volunteers paint a home for children. (contributed)

All nine APSO chapters will participate in an end-of-the-month employee virtual fundraiser, which will support the purchase of holiday gifts for needy children, as well as other charitable projects and nonprofits across the state.

Every year, APSO volunteers volunteer nearly 40,000 hours of their personal time to support community service projects. The independent, nonprofit organization launched its first projects in 1991. APSO members include employees of Alabama Power, Southern Company, Southern Nuclear and Southern Linc, and their families.

To learn more about the Alabama Power Service Organization, click here.