MEMPHIS LIGHT, GAS AND WATER DIVISION

VIP: VOLUNTEERS IN POWERWINTER 2017

A-Blazing Race Gives Students an Engineering PerspectiveSpeaking of engines, the A-Blazing Race took place Friday, Oct. 21 at the University of Memphis Herff College of Engineering as a part of E-Day. The race engages students in the design and construction of model solar cars. MLGW provided a kit containing a solar panel, battery holder and motor to build their solar-powered vehicle; the rest of the materials and build were up to the students. An engineering workshop was held at MLGW U Sept. 17 to help the students with their designs. The model cars competed in a 20-meter race to determine which vehicles completed the course in the shortest possible time using only the power of the sun. A panel of MLGW engineers also judged the cars on design and the team’s project notebook.There were two divisions: grades six through eight and grades nine through 12. Seventeen middle schools competed in the morning, and 18 high school teams went head-to-head in the afternoon. President and CEO Jerry Collins Jr. and VP of Engineering Operations Alonzo Weaver presented trophies to the winners. Middle school winners:First: STEM 1, Collierville Middle School Second: STEAM 2, Maxine Smith STEAM Academy Third: STEAM 3, Maxine Smith STEAM Academy Notebook/Design: Houston Middle Silver, Houston Middle SchoolHigh School winners:First: MBA Team 2, Memphis Business Academy High School Second: Lausanne CollegiateThird: MCHS Team 2, Middle College High SchoolNotebook/Design: Move It or Lose It, Harding AcademyApproximately 30 MLGW employees, many from MLGW’s Junior Engineers Professional Engineers group, volunteered with setup, registration, announcing and judging at the daylong event.

Resolve and Be ResoluteYou’ve heard it said that promises were made to be broken. An example may be recent politics… The same often applies to New Year’s resolutions.Yet, some New Year’s resolutions deserve to be kept, like volunteering more, giving more to charity, or giving of yourself and your precious time to help others. MLGW has an amazing array of volunteer opportunities and events. We truly believe in giving back to our community.We extend our heartfelt thanks to all MLGW employees who volunteered and participated in 2016. We thank you in advance for the efforts you will put forward in 2017. It will be a stellar year for volunteers! You can find volunteer opportunities in each VIP issue’s Volunteer Calendar, or you can contact Employee Activities (528-4245) or Community Relations (528-4820) to inquire about upcoming events.So start your engines! The Spring 2017 volunteer season is about to begin!When you do volunteer, send your volunteer selfies, event reports and Volunteer Spotlight suggestions to VIP editor Dan Hope, Communications and Public Relations, at dhope@mlgw.org or call me at 528-4557.

The winning high school team, Memphis Business Academy, poses with Alonzo Weaver and their trophies.

The judges table can be intimidating. MLGW JEPE engineers (l-r) Ben Shull, Work Mgmt. Proc. Align.; John Patterson, Bus. Proc. Engnrg.; and Jason Mayo, Subst. Transm. Engnrg., inspect entrants’ solar race cars.

(See more A-Blazing photos in Volunteer Views on p. 8.)

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From BBQ to turkey legs, from Solid Rock to karaoke, from go-carts to Jeopardy, MLGW employees and their families had a hot and wonderful time at the Division’s annual Family Day gathering. Call it a “company picnic” if you will, but MLGW’s Family Day held Saturday, Sept. 24 at McCord Pumping Station off Summer Ave. was so much more. Food, music, karaoke, bouncy castles, pony rides, a petting zoo, bingo, art contests, and a lot of socializing and visiting made it a very special day. MLGW’s own Solid Rock provided the musical entertainment. Art on the Spot was a new event featuring an art competition, and there were several participants in a Baking Contest.Even more amazing was the army of volunteers who staffed sign-in tables, beverage stations, games and activities, karaoke, and did set-up, take-down and even clean-up. Family Day would not have been possible without the stellar labor of love provided by our volunteers. A big thank you and salute to you, our picnic volunteers! (For more photos of MLGW’s Family Day, see Volunteer Views on page 9).

Families Picnic at McCord

MLGW volunteers staff the check-in tables handing out meal and treat tickets. Edna Chalmers, Cust. Accounts and Recs.; Robin Sutton, Risk Management; and Charles Maxwell Sr., Retired, pass out Family Day T-shirts.

Volunteer Patrice Mills (r), Land and Mapping, keeps an eye out on kids playing in a bouncy castle.

MLGW President and CEO Jerry Collins Jr. and Nedra Bailey, Employee Dev., commence Family Day’s opening ceremonies complete with an ROTC flag detail.

Steelers’ fan Kenny Mukes, Bldg. Svcs. and Grounds, has a sweet ride for his volunteer errands on Family Day.

MLGW’s own Rock Solid provide the entertainment, playing foot-tapping R & B and soul music for Family Day.

Don’t stand between a kid and his ice cream, especially if he has a large orange sword, as James Hicks, Revenue Prot., quickly found out (tongue in cheek…).

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Angel trumpets, bold brass and joyous bells! That was the musical menu served up by MLGW volunteers who stood outside Walgreens on Main Street almost every day in December ringing red bells and raising funds for the Salvation Army. They raised more than $1,011 in kettle contributions which was donated to assist the Memphis area Salvation Army and its programs, helping prevent chronic homelessness, stabilizing children, overcoming addiction and ministering to those in crisis.

“To put that in perspective, your efforts will pay for 40 nights of lodging and 80 meals for a homeless man, woman and/or a child,” said Stacie Glover, Volunteer Projects Manager for the local Salvation Army. “That’s a priceless gift to someone who might otherwise live on the streets. Please share this information with your volunteers along with hugs from the Salvation Army staff and the clients we serve.” Special thanks goes out to all our MLGW Kettle Campaign volunteers – too numerous to name here!

Brassy Red Kettle Campaign

Kettle Campaign volunteers and musicians (l-r) Titile’ KesKessa (ukulele, Memphis Chamber), Judith Wrushen, Commerc./Indust. Cust. Care Mgr’s Ofc.; Bill Bullock (trumpet), Retired; Anthony Bonner and Clifton Ford, Elec. Meter; Angela Hewlett, Labor/Empl. Relations; Jimmy McMorris (tuba), Elec. Meter; Daniel Hochstein (trumpet), Rates and Reg. Affairs; and Marcia Mason, Retired, staff the red kettle outside Walgreens.

Playing a little brassy Kettle music are (l-r) Bill Bullock, Daniel Hochstein and Jimmy McMorris.

True AngelsMLGW employees took on the assignment of providing holiday gifts for 100 “Angels” from a list provided by the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. The gifts – everything from bikes to toys to gifts for the home – were on display in MLGW’s Administration Building and loaded up on December 5 to be delivered to 65 children and 35 seniors who might not otherwise receive any gifts during the holidays. Special thanks to all our MLGW angels who contributed!

Surrounded on all sides by Angel Tree gifts from MLGW employees are Von Goodloe, VP - HR; Edward Castro and Mary White, HR Svcs.; and Jerry Collins Jr., President and CEO.

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MLGW employees had two more opportunities to make a difference by donating to United Way of the Mid-South. “Park Like an Executive” put up for auction the convenient parking spaces usually enjoyed by our executive staff. The lucky winners, who donated $365 total, were rewarded for their bids, earning them a week of the good life – at least as far as parking goes. The winning bidders who got to park in prime spots were Yolanda Dillard, Comm. and PR; Margaret Harrison, Insurance; Daniel Hochstein, Rates and Reg. Affairs; Margaret Jackson, Sys. Tech. Audit;

Paula Jackson, Prop. Mgmt. and Survey; Annie Mathis, Purchasing; Cynthia Sanders, Mgmt. Accounting; Daphne Winston, Insurance; William Yates, Planning and Sys. Engnrg.; and Christin Webb, Purchasing.Employees and visitors in the Administration Building on Dec. 14 around lunch time got a special treat – some Midday Music. R&B and soul group Memphis Rock Solid got the whole lobby dancing with funk tunes and Christmas favorites. Listeners were encouraged to give some cash to United Way in exchange for the fun midday diversion.

United Way Fundraisers End 2017 on a High Note

Memphis Rock Solid hit a groove during Midday Music in December. Park Like an Executive winners enjoyed VIP parking treatment.

AABE BEAM at U of MAABE TN Chapter held its Black Energy Awareness Month event with high school students in Shelby County at University of Memphis on Friday, Oct. 21 in conjunction with Engineering Day (E-Day).American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) TN Chapter volunteers greeted students with a smile at the welcome table during the 2016 Black Energy Awareness Month (BEAM) event for high school students during University of Memphis’ E-day. Hundreds of students from across Shelby County engaged with professionals about energy-related careers during the daylong event.

Welcoming students to AABE’s U of M BEAM event are (l to r) Renetta Lesure, Tech. Support; Latonya Alexander, Data Analytics and Software Integ.; and Martrice Anderson, Key Accounts.

Students won a cash prize for answering questions during the BEAM event at the University of Memphis with guest speaker Gwen Mizell (r), president and CEO of GSM Development.

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If you have volunteered or participated in a company event, you’ve walked into a room and heard the cheerful echoes of “Yaaaaay!” spreading enthusiasm throughout the crowd for even the simplest tasks. For many years, those cheers of encouragement have been initiated by Glynis Finnie, Elec. Dist. Support. Glynis was diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and now her co-workers are cheering her on throughout her journey to fight cancer.“We want to show Glynis that we love her and that she is not going through this alone,” said Marcia Mason, retired, and Angela Boyd-Ingram, Corporate Security Manager’s Office, who began organizing a rally every Friday morning at NSC to walk and raise money in

support of Glynis. The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk sparked the idea that “we should walk for Glynis,” Mason said. The support was unwavering, and the rally grew each week. “I couldn’t ask for better co-workers,” said Finnie. “They cut my hair off with me, kiss my bald head, constantly text to check up on me and have really been there by my side. My co-workers’ prayers have been the biggest thing to help me get through this journey. I am here by my faith, and I thank God.”MLGW walkers also participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Liberty Bowl.

Employees Rally to Support MLGW’s Cheerleader through Cancer Journey

Portia Mason and Mary White, HR Svcs., (in pink) at the start of the Cancer Walk.

MLGW walkers, many of whom participated in rallies for Glynis, pose as they prepare to walk in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

Glynis and her shiny head walked in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at the Liberty Bowl Oct. 23.

On Friday, Sept. 16, members of the Executive Staff at-tended the rally to show their support for Glynis. Co-work-ers created a banner and gave T-shirts for donations.

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Volunteer SpotlightShare Yourself: Tammy Been’e

Helping others is good for you. When you volunteer and share yourself with others, it feeds your soul. That’s one way to look at it. It’s a perspective Tammy Been’e believes in. Tammy started at MLGW in September 2003. “I started as a Customer Care Center representative in MLGW’s ‘famous’ call center,” says Tammy. “It’s famous because everyone says if you can work at the CCC, you can work anywhere. After four years of assisting customers on the phone, I decided to venture out to other opportunities and accepted my current position as a Clerical Support Clerk in the Telecommunication Engineering department under the supervision of Michael Kissell at that time.” “Mike offered me the opportunity to volunteer by being our area’s key person for Operation Feed,” Tammy recalls. “I didn’t really want to because I didn’t know what to expect, but when I took a tour of the Food Bank, I was sold. That tour really touched me. The fact that you can feed so many people with just $1 was amazing! I have been volunteering ever since.“Some of the parents that shop at the Food Bank can barely afford to feed their children,” Tammy explains. “During the school year, some children get their main meal at school, but during the summer it’s different. We take for granted knowing we’re getting a meal, but for them not to know is unthinkable to me. It’s heart-warming to see them be able to shop for food for their families in a place where our donations help stock the shelves.”Tammy also volunteers for the Southern Women’s Show, Delta Fair, Sisterhood Showcase and Africa in April, mostly staffing MLGW information booths and talking to people about energy-saving strategies. “My knowledge about saving energy came from working the call center,” Tammy says. “You can share a different perspective with customers who may not know about setting the thermostat or weatherization or weather stripping that can have a big effect on your utility bill. I love sharing that knowledge and talking to people at these events.”She also enjoys doing Career Days at local schools and organizations, giving her a chance to share what

it’s like working for MLGW and the opportunities here. And Tammy has been a United Way Key Person for her area for about 10 years. “Almost everyone in my area participates in United Way,” Tammy says. “I became aware of United Way working here and then got involved as a Key Person. I always enjoy the United Way campaign.”Outside of MLGW, Tammy volunteers at the Salvation Army during the holidays to collect winter items for the homeless such as coats, gloves and hats. “A group of my girlfriends got together and said, ‘We

should do this,’” Tammy recalls. “So now each year we go to the store, purchase stuff mostly for women and children and take the items to the Whitten Road Salvation Army for the holidays. To see their faces light up is amazing. It’s just something less for them or their children to worry about.”Tammy loves the MLGW-related volunteer effort at the Delta Fair each year. “This is my favorite because of Senior Day,” she says

“The spin-the-wheel game just makes their day. Even though they win a recyclable bag, they are so excited, it’s as if they have won the prize of a lifetime. Some of them I remember from year to year, and even some of them remember me, too. They look for the MLGW booth to have fun spinning the wheel. It’s a great time to let them know what their thermostat setting should be in the winter or summer or about weatherization and how to save energy since they’re on a fixed income.” Tammy’s advice for potential MLGW volunteers? “Volunteering and helping others can help reduce stress, keep you mentally stimulated and provide a sense of purpose,” she stresses. “Also volunteering doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. You can start off as small as once a year, but giving in simple ways can really help those in need.”“What I get out of volunteering is enormous,” Tammy muses. “It increases my self-confidence, and it makes me realize how fortunate I am to take for granted the simple things such as having a warm home, having clothes to put on and having a positive view of life. I’m helping my community by sharing knowledge and my time. It’s just a great feeling when you share yourself by volunteering.”

Tammy Been’e

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Volunteer Events Calendar

Join your co-workers and volunteer for these fun and rewarding MLGW volunteer events. Contact information is listed by each event. The contacts’ email addresses below are active – all you have to do is click on them.

February 2017 • Home Show of the Mid-South – February 10-12, Agricenter, various times. Contact: Stacey Greenberg, Community

Relations, 528-4820 or sgreenberg@mlgw.org

• Junior Achievement Bowling on the River Bowl-A-Thon – Saturday, February 25, Billy Hardwick’s Lanes. Contact: Mary White, Employee Activities, 528-4245 or mlwhite@mlgw.org

March 2017• Southern Women’s Show – March 10-12, Agricenter, various times. Contact: Stacey Greenberg, Communications

and PR, 528-4820 or sgreenberg@mlgw.org

• Bartlett Business Expo – March 23, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bartlett. Contact: Beverly Perkins, Communications and PR, 528-4820 or bperkins@mlgw.org

April 2017• 11th Annual Scouts Rock @ Graceland – April 8, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Contact: Beverly Perkins, Communications and

PR, 528-4820 or bperkins@mlgw.org

• Africa in April – April 21-23, Church Park, various times. Contact: Stacey Greenberg, Community Relations, 528-4820 or sgreenberg@mlgw.org

Volunteer your time and give back to our community.

Walk through the Park is All about Distracted DrivingThe third annual Mid-South Distracted Driving 5K Walk and Community Fair was held Saturday, Nov. 5 in Overton Park. The Collegiate Life Investment Foundation (CLIF) sponsored the event to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and that car crashes are the number one killer of teens in America. Participants, including several MLGW employees, enjoyed a day of fun activities with music, food trucks, a health and wellness fair, traffic safety vendors and simulators, health screenings and inflatable bouncy castles for kids. Proceeds from the event benefit the victims of car crashes and the C.A.R.E.S. program, an initiative to place road safety programs in our Mid-South middle and high schools. MLGW employees and families raised over $2,500 for teen traffic safety educational programs for Memphis high school students. The 2017 walk will be held on Nov. 4.

MLGW volunteer TJ Redmond, CCC, (gray sweatshirt) and her daughter Larissa (red knit cap) helped organize the Distracted Driving Walk. Larissa was honored by the Memphis Flyer as one of Memphis’ “20 Under 30” in their Jan. 19 issue.

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Volunteer Views

A-Blazing Race: Herding solar race cars and budding middle school engineers can be a challenge. Just ask MLGW engineer and volunteer Thai Tran, Work Mgmt. Proc. Align.

Photos of MLGW volunteers are viewable on your home computer or mobile device in our volunteer photo albums at www.flickr.com/photos/mlgwpix/albums.

A-Blazing Race: MLGW President and CEO Jerry Collins Jr. helps middle school winners, Collierville Middle School, celebrate.

Christmas Terminator: MLGW’s newly restored Terminator Truck recently joined in community holiday parades in Whitehaven and on Beale Street in downtown Memphis. MLGW’s Terminator rode in the bucket tossing gifts to the crowd.

Christmas Parade: MLGW volunteers walked close to the Terminator Truck and tossed gifts and candy to parade attendees while wearing signs touting safety and saving energy.

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Thirsty for Fun: The beverage tent crew volunteered to provide thirst quenchers on a hot Family Day.

Family Bingo!: MLGW’s Family Day featured fun events such as bingo. Contestants try to keep a lid on their excitement as Lisa Woods, Whitehaven Comm. Ofc., calls out the numbers.

Family Day: The food at Family Day was scrumptious, as Robert Elkin (r), HR Svcs., is about to discover.

Family Ride: “Oh, what fun it is to ride!” says Isaac Ivory, son of Kelsey Batiste, Downtown Credit Ofc., and grandson of Olivia Ivory, Labor/Empl. Relations. “On a pony at Family Day…”

Family Art: An Art Contest was held for the first time this year. Volunteer judges compare entries to decide on a winner.