Apr 1, 2025 | Community Involvement
We enjoy giving back to our communities and neighbors in powerful ways, not because it looks good on paper, but because it is who we are. Aside from the warmth and liveliness of spring, it’s why we love April, one of the busiest months on our calendar.
The month of April will be busy once again in 2025, as we continue our 100-year commitment to serving eastern and central Pennsylvania. Here’s how we’ll be empowering our communities this month:
- 🌎 Caring for our environment: April is Earth Month, and Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. We will be taking part in a number of volunteer activities during the week of Earth Day, planting trees and sprucing up local parks in Harrisburg, Williamsport, Allentown, Bethlehem, Hazleton and Scranton.
- But before we head out for our Earth Day festivities, we’ll be in East Greenville on April 12 to clean up the Perkiomen Stream at the Kistler Bitting YMCA Park. We also are holding a family volunteer day event at the Wildlands Conservancy on April 12, where our employees will get to bring their families along to help beautify the conservancy’s nature preserves.
- 👨🏫 Supporting education: We know today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, so we support education year-round. April is a great example of what we do to aid curriculums throughout our service territory.
- On April 14, we will be hosting 75 students from the Allentown School District for an up-close look at careers in the energy industry. Students will learn about linework, cybersecurity, customer service, environmental management and more. Later in the month, we will also be hosting students from SUN Area Technical Institute for a tour of one of our service centers and to learn more about operations at PPL Electric Utilities.
- 💕 Giving and grants: Our grant programs help organizations throughout the 29 counties we serve inspire students and children, foster inclusion, encourage environmental stewardship and more. While our PPL Foundation team gets ready to notify this year’s recipients of Powering Equity Grants in May, we’re checking in with a pair of organizations that have already received funding from the PPL Foundation
- Another successful semester of the Student Career Exploration Co-Op Program is wrapping up at UPMC, where local high school students receive weekly hands-on nursing experience through the Susquehanna Health Foundation. The student-nurses will talk about all they’ve been able to learn through the program as they explore nursing as a career. Supporting STEM education is also something we strongly believe in. That’s why we’re excited to visit with our friends at Community Services for Children (CSC) in Allentown and watch their young students play and learn in CSC’s Innovation Lab. Funded in part by a PPL Foundation grant, the lab offers several hands-on learning activities.
Our employees give their time and money year-round to help nonprofit organizations, support sustainable communities and empower students and educators. We look forward to every opportunity to assist our neighborhoods, making April an especially exciting time. As spring begins to take over Pennsylvania, we look forward to springing into action throughout our communities!
May 28, 2024 | Community Involvement
With the snip of a ribbon, the Da Vinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion is ready to open the doors to its 67,000-square-foot facility.
The Da Vinci Center had been housed at Cedar Crest College for the last 18-plus years, offering engaging learning opportunities through a series of exhibits. The new location in downtown Allentown offers twice the space, and twice the fun.
“I have been waiting for the moment when I can see kids, families and teachers interacting with the experience,” said Lin Erickson, Executive Director and CEO of the Da Vinci Science Center. “We’ve been working really hard to raise money and design exhibits, and it’s all about the impact and how the community engages with the experiences.”
A walk through the two-story center is a scientific adventure. There are numerous exhibits designed to teach visitors about topics that are relevant to our everyday lives – health, biology and the environment, to name a few – including one of our own.
Situated along the back wall on the first floor, our exhibit features an interactive lesson in how solar energy can power a home. Using light from the ceiling, visitors control a series of mirrors to reflect light on to a number of solar panels. Each panel powers a different room or appliance within the home, simulating how sunlight can charge our lives. Walking along the back wall, children and adults alike can read about the power of electricity, and some of the careers at PPL Electric Utilities that help keep the lights on every day.
“It’s been really fun working with local companies like PPL and tapping into their expertise to develop these exhibits,” Erickson said.
PPL has been a longtime partner with the science center, and we are thrilled to continue this relationship in a new space. We believe supporting a strong foundation in STEM education is critical to the success of today’s students and it helps create the highly skilled workforce of the future. We also believe this learning should be accessible to all.
“We want to encourage access to STEM programs for all students,” said Lissette Santana, senior manager of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. “One of our requests was to make sure that this world-class science center was accessible to the community; we want people who live and work in the area to come and enjoy this space, regardless of income.”
After 18-plus years at its old location, the Da Vinci Science Center is excited for fun and education at PPL Pavilion for generations to come.
“Thanks to PPL’s and many others’ support, we’ve built a science center for our children and grandchildren,” Erickson said. “And it will be right here in the Lehigh Valley; that is so cool.”
Mar 30, 2021 | Community Involvement
As any teacher will tell you, the transition to a virtual environment has been a challenge. That’s why we’re stepping up to ease the burden and connect students with the resources they need to thrive.
Through a partnership with Smithsonian Science Education Center, Da Vinci Science Center, and the Allentown School District, we successfully launched a STEM literacy series for fourth and fifth grade students.
STEM – which stands for “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math” – is critical as it prepares students for future success in both school and their careers.
To kick-off this initiative, we funded a professional development training with teachers so they could successfully launch the STEM program for roughly 2,500 students. Fourth graders learn about energy in the home, while fifth grade students are studying environmental energy. The great thing about this program is students receive a STEM package of their own, including a textbook and science kit. These resources are for the students to keep at home and share with their families after the 6-week lesson is complete.
We’re proud to play a small part in preventing STEM learning loss for these students during such a difficult time. Here’s to the next generation of STEM leaders!
