Thursday, December 27, 2012

Employees deliver holiday spirit to local families in need

Employees from our Pewaukee Customer Care Center and Wholesale Energy and Fuels department brought the holiday spirit to families in need this season through the Adopt-a-Family programs of the Salvation Army of Waukesha and Journey House Center for Family Learning and Youth Athletics, respectively.

Our Pewaukee employees “adopted” a mother and her three children, while the Wholesale employees “adopted” two separate families, each with two adults and three children. Pewaukee employees have participated in the Salvation Army’s program for the past nine years, and Wholesale employees have participated in Journey House since 2008. Employees purchased gifts from the families’ lists, such as clothing and toys, or donated money for the purchase of gifts.

An excerpt from the profile of one of the families benefiting from this employee generosity highlights the need:

“I am Lucero’s teacher. She came to Journey House eight years ago when she was first married. Her husband was in a fatal car accident. I remember the funeral. She did not return to school until this year. She is married with three children. She will complete her GED in Spanish by June 2013. She is very smart and determined to make a good life for herself and children. She is in my English language class and is an excellent student.

“She recently found out that her son has autism, but this does not deter her from her goals.

“She also cleans an office every night for three hours @ $8 per hour.


In a separate activity, employees from our various locations in Pewaukee collected food to stock the shelves of the Food Pantry of Waukesha County. The team collected 10 large boxes and six large bags of food. In addition, a $260 donation was made that the food pantry used to purchase more items.

Journey House is a community-based opportunity oasis where men, women and children on Milwaukee’s diverse Near South Side can build vital academic, employment and life skills to reach their goals.

Salvation Army is an action-oriented Christian church and social service organization that was founded in London, England, in 1865. For the past 110 years, Salvation Army has demonstrated its ability to "meet human need at the point of need" through various programs in Waukesha.

Food Pantry of Waukesha County advocates to increase awareness of hunger in the community and promotes collaborative action to provide food to those in need.

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