Exelon and ComEd Volunteers Mentor Aurora's Future Scientists for National Volunteer Week
Employee volunteers from ComEd, Exelon Nuclear, and parent company Exelon gave nearly 50 “mathlete” students from East Aurora a taste of what it's like to work in the energy industry at a mentoring event on Saturday, April 16, that was part of a companywide observance of National Volunteer Week.
Students from Aurora's Cowherd, Simmons and Waldo Middle Schools participated in hands-on activities, such as determining the half-life of M&Ms and experiencing a day in the life of an engineer, and gained understanding of how math and science concepts are applied in technical occupations. They also viewed a 200-foot ladder Touch-It truck and toured Exelon's Cantera Emergency Operating Facility.
“Through this project, our employee volunteers work to ensure students in our community have a chance to see the real-world application of these core subjects,” said Karen Peery, project co-sponsor and vice president of IT for Exelon Generation. “We also want to stress the importance of staying in school to gain the education one needs to succeed professionally.”
The event was one of more than 80 community service projects Exelon employee volunteers are leading for National Volunteer Week. More than 1,200 Exelon employees, family members and friends are expected to provide approximately 5,000 hours of volunteer service for the projects, which take place in Exelon's service territories of northern Illinois, southeastern Pennsylvania and Texas.
“Our companywide observance of National Volunteer Week grows each year and continues to contribute meaningfully to the communities we serve,” said John W. Rowe, Exelon chairman and CEO. “But our employees' commitment to volunteerism is hardly limited to one week out of the year. Thousands of dedicated Exelon employees partner year-round with their local service organizations to improve the environment and quality of life for people in their communities and beyond.”
National Volunteer Week, which officially takes place April 10-16, 2011, is an annual, nationwide observance of individuals' and organizations' contributions to their communities. Exelon recognizes National Volunteer Week by empowering employee volunteers to design their own service projects and recruit others to participate. Exelon's projects focus on environmental issues, diversity and inclusion, and community enrichment.
In 2010, more than 2,000 Exelon employee volunteers gave almost 66,000 hours of their time to community nonprofit organizations. This is equivalent to 1,650 workweeks or nearly 32 years of fulltime service.