Nov 11, 2024 | Community Involvement, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion
Every Veterans Day, we honor all who have served in the military. Veterans at PPL Electric Utilities can join our PPLVets business resource group, which holds veteran-led meetings and events throughout the year. Through the PPL Foundation, we’re also proud to support organizations throughout our 29-county service territory that assist veterans.
The I’M ABLE Foundation is one of these organizations. The foundation is based in Wyomissing and is a recent recipient of a Powering Equity grant. I’M ABLE builds on its mission to remove obstacles for people with challenges, providing them with access to programs and equipment tailored to their needs.
In addition to providing free adaptive and inclusive group fitness programs for children, I’M ABLE also provides free fitness and mentorship opportunities for veterans though its Operation Lead from the Front program.
“The I’M ABLE Foundation is a place where people can come and get active – people of all abilities,” said Brian Sutherland, director of development for the I’M ABLE Foundation.
The foundation hosts classes at its gym twice a week and also takes part in events on select weekends. While the childrens’ and veterans’ fitness classes bring in different audiences, veterans have the opportunity to take part in mentoring and helping children in the foundation’s I’M FIT classes.
Jason Kish is a military veteran who has become a mentor for two children in the I’M FIT class.
“It just makes my life more enriched, just to get away from my normal day-to-day routine,” Kish said. “This is something that’s just hard to describe – how rewarding it is.”
A photo of Kish (left) and Josh (right) during one of the program’s I’M FIT classes.
Since I’M ABLE began hosting classes, attendance has jumped from an average of five participants to 40 per class. Sutherland says that this jump is thanks to donors like the PPL Foundation that make this programming free.
“You guys giving back to the community and making this possible for people of all abilities – it makes a difference,” he said. “All these kids can come together and just be celebrated for who they are and what they can do.”
“The work that they are doing to advance inclusivity in our community is so important,” said Kelly Palmer, PPL Electric Utilities regional affairs director. “It’s really meeting a community need, and it’s exactly the type of program we would want to fund through the Powering Equity grant. We are proud to support the I’M ABLE Foundation, and we are proud to support our veterans.”
Oct 25, 2024 | Community Involvement
VIDEO: PPL making fitness accessible to all at the Bloomsburg Area YMCA
Through its grants, the PPL Foundation invests in building communities. There are a number of grant cycles year-round that support different initiatives. Every summer, the foundation awards Powering Equity grants to organizations that specifically work to promote greater equity and inclusion in the neighborhoods we serve.
The Bloomsburg Area YMCA is a recent recipient of a Powering Equity grant. It serves Columbia and Montour counties and is dedicated to youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA is using the Powering Equity grant to support its growing Adaptive Health and Recreation Program for children with disabilities.
“This adaptive program is meant for kids ages three to 13,” said Collin Benfield, director of programs and membership development at the YMCA. “We try to offer a myriad of different sporting and recreational opportunities for kids that may not otherwise get them in a safe manner and in a manner that helps aid their physical therapy.”
The program kicked off in 2023, and it is currently offering its second cycle of classes. It’s quickly becoming popular in the area, growing from 10 children to 22 in the first year.
“The kids and the families love it,” said Wayne Stump, chief executive officer at the YMCA. “It’s evidenced by just how quickly this program has grown.”
There are two sessions during the year during the spring and fall. The current fall session is held on Wednesday nights, which is becoming the highlight of these kids’ weeks.
“Their feedback is that they want it more often – every day, if they could,” Benfield said. “It feels amazing knowing that we’re providing wellness for all…regardless of ability or disability.”
As the program expands and the numbers grow, the need for funding becomes more important.
“We wouldn’t be able to do it without the funding that we do get. We’re really appreciative of the PPL Foundation and others,” Stump said. “With the amount of costs that families have, this might be a burden if they had to pay for it.”
The YMCA says it looks forward to accepting more kids into the program and continuing to provide accessibility to all.
“To me and the rest of the grants committee, when programs benefit a wide range of diverse groups, that really makes them special,” said Jonah Howe, PPL Electric Utilities’ regional affairs director in the area. “We’re proud to support the Adaptive Health Program at the Bloomsburg YMCA.”
Aug 20, 2024 | Community Involvement
Being part of the communities we serve goes well beyond delivering safe, reliable electricity. Through PPL Foundation’s Empowering Communities grants, we support local programs focused on environmental stewardship and education, economic development and/or workforce development.
Lehigh Carbon Community College in Schnecksville is a recent recipient of an Empowering Communities grant. The college used this funding to both buy new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and update older equipment for its students to use in the classroom.
“We teach the students the basics for refrigeration and air conditioning, and we push a lot of hands-on learning,” said Tim Brady, associate professor of the HVAC program at LCCC. “So, we need to maintain equipment that keeps up with the changes and certifications in the industry.”
The new equipment, which includes a refrigeration training unit and hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide manifolds, was introduced and used for the first time this year during LCCC’s summer session. Roughly 50 more students will benefit from these new tools during the fall semester.
“When we initially purchased the equipment in October of 2023, it felt like Christmas came early,” Brady said. “So many aspects of our daily lives depend on these skilled workers.”
From office buildings to hospitals to the air conditioners in our homes, HVAC’s impacts can be found everywhere. Furthermore, the college says that there’s a demand for trade workers nationwide. That need is proven by an increase in professional demand for LCCC’s students.
“I used to get one call at the end of a semester from employers,” Brady said. “Now, I get two or three calls per semester. They used to tell me they were looking for a student, and now they’re asking me how many I can send them.”
Through this Empowering Communities grant, students are learning how to work with equipment they’ll run into while out in the workforce. By the time they leave the program, the students earn 14 different certifications, including certificates for newer and more environmentally friendly refrigerants that are becoming standard in the industry. This learning isn’t just important for the students’ professional development, but LCCC students can use their expertise to make a positive impact in communities throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania.
“Our HVAC students could be working in the hospital that your parents are staying in,” said Dr. Andrea Grannum-Mosley, dean of the School of Workforce at LCCC. “We’re happy that PPL was able to support this. PPL is helping Lehigh Carbon Community College help everyone, and it really warms our heart.”
Jul 31, 2024 | Community Involvement, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion
Delivering safe, reliable electricity is just one of the ways we take part in the communities we serve. Through the PPL Foundation’s Powering Equity grants, we support nonprofit organizations advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and protecting underrepresented residents.
The Cooperage Project in Honesdale recently received a Powering Equity grant from the PPL Foundation. The Cooperage Project is a not-for-profit that serves its surrounding community through youth, food, and arts and culture programming. The organization is using this funding to support its LGBTQ+ programming offered throughout the month of June and into the fall. The Cooperage Project began hosting Pride events in 2022.
“In Wayne County, there weren’t any visible Pride community events at the time,” said Arrah Fisher, executive director of The Cooperage Project. “The first event we hosted was a smashing success, so when PPL announced its new Powering Equity grant category in 2023, we thought it would be great to apply to fund some of this Pride-related programming.”
Funding from the round of 2024 grants will go toward three different Pride events hosted throughout the month of June, and it will also be used to build off a Cooperage Project event that was funded by 2023’s round of Powering Equity grants, called Community Conversations beyond the LGTBQ+ Culture War.
“We had a panel discussion with community members from several different backgrounds – a school counselor and a local reverend to name a couple,” Fisher said. “We had over 150 people show up to be a part of this conversation and listen. It was incredible.”
Fisher says the hope is not only to educate the broader community, but to provide a safe space.
“When we held our last Pride karaoke event, we had over 100 people show up, and nearly half of them were teenagers,” Fisher said. “They feel safe, affirmed and supported at The Cooperage Project. For us, we like to know that what we’re doing is mattering.”
Fisher also says having an initiative like Powering Equity grants is important to building a deeper sense of understanding.
“As an organization, we don’t see as many opportunities for funding equity-based programming,” she said. “The PPL Foundation supports us in a lot of different ways, and it has made a tremendous impact on our programs and on the people in our community.”
Apr 26, 2024 | Community Involvement
Being part of the communities we serve goes well beyond delivering safe, reliable electricity. Through PPL Foundation grants, we support local programs focused on environmental stewardship and education, economic development and/or workforce development.
The Lancaster Conservancy in southcentral Pennsylvania recently received a grant from the PPL Foundation. The Conservancy is using this funding to remove invasive plant species from two nature preserves of the 10,000 acres it has protected in its over-50-year history.
The Conservancy protects and tends to 50 preserves in Lancaster and York Counties. With 25 full-time employees, the Conservancy turns to hundreds of community volunteers every year who log thousands of hours of service.
“We couldn’t do this work without them,” said Vice President for Engagement and Education Keith Williams. “We have very few ecosystems that are not impacted by invasive plants. Because they’re not native to our land, they don’t have the typical population controls that keep their numbers in check.”
This, Williams says, leads to a lack of diversity in the ecosystem, which in turn impacts the plants and wildlife that depend on natural resources.
The grant from the PPL Foundation is helping the Conservancy pay for materials to remove invasive species within the Shenks Ferry and Kellys Run preserves. So far this year, our funding has aided in the removal of 3,600 gallons of garlic mustard, a prominent pest across the northeastern United States.
“We started this project three years ago,” Williams said of the garlic removal. “We compare this area to some that we haven’t gotten to yet, and the diversity of the native wildflowers is so much greater on these treated lands.”
Invasive species within the Conservancy include more than just garlic mustard. The team is planning to also remove larger intruders like multiflora rose, bush honeysuckle and autumn olive. With the help of passionate volunteer conservationists like Brad Gorter, the team hopes to preserve the land’s natural beauty and all that comes with it.
“The Conservancy was looking for volunteers and we realized that we could give back to the organization that provided such wonderful outdoor spaces for us to enjoy,” Gorter said.
“Performing this work isn’t just important, it’s vital to the long-term health and sustainability of the places we work and live.”
The Conservancy has expanded and flourished for 54 years, and it believes that these efforts can help it – and our natural lands and wildlife – thrive well into the future.
“Humans depend on the diversity we’re protecting,” Williams said. “Each organism within these 10,000 acres provides an ecosystem function, and we benefit from the services that are provided. These native species deserve to be here as much as we do, and the work that we’re doing ensures that these species will continue to thrive into future generations.”
