The charitable and community support efforts of Electrical Workers Local 1 and their electrical contractor members of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), St. Louis chapter, through their partnership in the Electrical Connection, is a finalist for the prestigious Arcus Awards from the St. Louis Regional Chamber.
The award, the Ameren Corporate Citizenship Award, is one of 10 award categories in the awards competition that honors companies, organizations, or institutions who make St. Louis a more inclusive and attractive place to live, work, and invest for all people. Six groups are vying for this award. The winner will be announced at a gala event on Feb. 23 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch.
OUTSTANDING EFFORTS
The Electrical Connection is being saluted for a number of initiatives to improve the communities that its contractors and electricians serve.
Most recently, this has included helping energize a Ferguson, Mo. “Shop with a Cop” program last December while also increasing its support for the rural St. Francois County “Shop with a Cop” program at the same time. The expansion of both programs came about when the Electrical Connection partnered with Saint Louis FC for a fundraiser during a July 31, 2016 soccer game, allowing the IBEW/NECA partnership to donate $5,000 to each program.
As a result of this effort, more than 500 disadvantaged children were served by the holiday giving and community trust building programs. The Electrical Connection’s involvement in “Shop with a Cop” dates to 1993 when it first began supporting the St. Francois County program. It has donated more than $54,000 to the program since.
MORE COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Other Electrical Connection civic endeavors include:
- Sponsoring the lighting of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium
- A 13-year commitment donating more than $800,000 in labor/materials to Rebuilding Together St. Louis to improve more than 450 homes for low-income St. Louisans.
- Since 2004, donating $1.5 million in services to Habitat for Humanity to safely wire more than 233 new homes.
- Helping National Night Out make neighborhoods safe by donating more than $450,000 in materials/services to install security lighting in more than 850 St. Louis homes.
- Donating new scoreboards, including installation, for several schools.
- In 2015, sponsoring Saint Louis FC and the return of outdoor professional soccer to St. Louis.
- Engaging more than 9,000 students in how STEM subjects translate into electrical careers through partnerships with the Saint Louis Science Center, Partners for Progress of Greater St. Charles, Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and numerous school districts.
- Active leadership to strengthen Missouri’s economy and communities including regional and statewide partnerships with the Hawthorn Foundation, Missouri Partnership, the Economic Development Center of St. Charles County, Missouri Energy Initiative, U.S. Green Building Council- Missouri Gateway Chapter, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) – Gateway Chapter and more.
Finally, for more than 70 years, the IBEW/NECA industry-funded apprenticeship program has consistently delivered the best value in workforce development, free of charge and at no taxpayer expense, to meet the Missouri’s next generation electrical needs, including electric vehicles, cybersecurity and robotics.
Diversity is fully integrated into its programs. Up to 37 percent of its apprentices in the last 10 classes have been minorities. It also invests in the Regional Union Construction Center’s mission to create a more sustainable minority contracting community.
Others vying for the award are Accenture, Anders, Emmis St. Louis, Gateway to Innovation and Mastercard.
Members of the Electrical Connection provide safe and reliable electrical construction, maintenance, repair and replacement services across Missouri, the nation and the world.
- Share this story:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-