American Water Works Co. Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced the results of its first companywide employee volunteer event held this fall titled "AmerICANs in Action! Month of Service."
Nearly 1,000 employees, family members and friends participated in approximately 100 community volunteer projects representing American Water operations in 14 states and Canada.
In 2009, American Water launched a formal corporate responsibility program to create a lasting, positive impact on the communities in the company serves, and AmeriICANs in Action is one initiative of this program. AmerICANs in Action encouraged teams of employees to get out of the office and volunteer in these communities where they live and work.
Employees demonstrated a diverse range of skills through projects that included providing irrigation to a community garden in New Jersey, providing landscaping and maintenance to a playground in Missouri, a shoe drive in Illinois and a coastal cleanup in California. Some volunteered at food banks and animal shelters, while others teamed up with their local Habitat for Humanity or United Way chapters.
“[The initiative] was an opportunity for employees to do something that is important to them as individuals,” American Water's Corporate Responsibility Manager Debra Vernon said. “It gave them the chance to strengthen relationships with co-workers and combine efforts to help a community organization that has limited resources to accomplish the critical services it provides in our communities.”
Source: American Water Works Co. Inc.
