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Tag: UDWI

HHM Employees Donate Toys to Children in Need this Holiday Season

Written by Brooke Porter on . Posted in UDWI News. No Comments on HHM Employees Donate Toys to Children in Need this Holiday Season

Bloomfield, Ind. (Dec. 23, 2024) — Hoosier Heritage Management employees gifted Crane Credit Union over 80 toys for local children this holiday season. 

Toys for Tots, a nonprofit organization started and run by the Marine Corps, has a mission to collect new toys and distribute them to children in need at Christmas time. By carrying out this mission, Toys for Tots hopes to bring the joy of Christmas to children across the county and send a message of hope to those in need in America. In southern Indiana, the local Toys for Tots chapter is at NSA Crane. 

“At HHM, we have a passion for our local community, and the Holiday Season is the perfect time to put that passion to good use, spreading Holiday cheer to children in need,” comments Nicole Gose, wife of Robert Gose, Operations Head at Hoosier Heritage Management. Nicole goes on to describe the reason why this cause is so near and dear to the hearts of HHM employees, saying, “One main reason we do this is that every child should have something under the tree on Christmas morning. We as parents more than likely have been there at one time or another. We do this as an act of love from one human to another.” 

For the past nine years, Nicole and Robert Gose have collected donations from fellow HHM employees, buying gifts to donate to the local Toys for Tots chapter. This fall and winter, HHM employees donated hundreds of dollars to the cause, allowing Nicole Gose to purchase and drop off over 80 toys to Crane Credit Union. 

“When we saw the extent of the donations, we could not contain our excitement,” commented an employee at Crane Credit Union. They continued, “These toys can go a long way in spreading joy to children in our area— it can make all the difference to families this time of year. We want to thank Hoosier Heritage Management for all that they have done in supporting our mission so consistently these last several years.” 
HHM is a vegetation management company that specializes in tree trimming services as a subsidiary of the Utilities District of Western Indiana, REMC. Established in 2013, the HHM team works to keep power lines clear of vegetation to help UDWI achieve safe, reliable power. Outside of their work for UDWI, HHM employees take pride in being active members of their communities and positively impacting those around them on and off the job. In the future, employees will continue to spread holiday cheer through their Toys for Tots donations. To learn more about HHM, contact UDWI REMC or visit https://www.udwiremc.com/hoosier-heritage-management/.

Bloomfield’s ‘C2C’ Receives UDWI REMC Community Fund Grant

Written by Brooke Porter on . Posted in UDWI News. No Comments on Bloomfield’s ‘C2C’ Receives UDWI REMC Community Fund Grant

BLOOMFIELD, Ind. (July 25, 2024) — The Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC’s Community Fund donated $17,450 across 12 local organizations in June, including $2,500 to Crawling to Cramps.

C2C serves the local community by offering diapers, feminine hygiene products, and other resources such as formula and wipes at no cost to participants. Additionally, clients have access to a “free store” that provides used clothing, dishes, home decor, toys and other household items. The concept for C2C was born in 2022 after studying mission work of different religions, and the organization began distributing free resources in 2022.

According to the National Diaper Bank, around 33% of U.S. families experienced a diaper shortage in 2010. Ten years later, in 2023, that number rose to 47%. In addition to rising diaper insecurities for many U.S. families, the National Diaper Bank also reported that, on average, those experiencing diaper insecurity miss 5.1 workdays in a month or nearly $300 in lost wages for at minimum wage.

Samantha Edwards, operational director with C2C, discusses how donations contribute to the organization’s cause. “Without this kind of altruistic, kind, and thoughtful support from giving businesses and organizations like Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC, we would never be able to do the work that we do. There would be no C2C.”

The grant awarded by UDWI will be used to purchase diapers and wipes; it will continue to support the mission of providing resources for those in our community using a harm reduction and dignity-focused model. For those in need, distribution is located at 25 N. Franklin St. in Bloomfield. There, distribution occurs from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

C2C is always in need of donations, community volunteers and financial sponsors. Visit the C2C Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/c2cGreene) to support its diaper program as well as the many initiatives C2C also leads throughout the year, including:

  • Colt’s Birthday Club – To honor Colten David Scott Whelchel, C2C makes sure that every child has the supplies they need to celebrate their birthday. 
  • Bike Giveaway- In June, C2C provides children with free, new bikes. 
  • Prom Dress Giveaway- In March, C2C provides free prom dresses, shoes, jewelry, suits, and other prom necessities at a fun event where prom goers can try dresses on, take pics with their friends in front of a pretty photo backdrop, enjoy some hors d’oeuvres and drink sparkling grape juice.
  • BacktoSchoolooza- In July, C2C provides local children with new shoes, underwear, and socks for free. 
  • Sharing Shanty– C2C supports a free cabinet that is open 24/7/365 and contains toiletries, food, cleaning supplies, and secondhand items like blankets, movies, books, dishes, fans, and more available at any time to those in need.
  • The Coat Giveaway– C2C joined another local organization to pass out coats of all sizes, gloves, hats, scarves, heaters, tents, sleeping bags, blankets, food, toiletry items, and much more.

“This donation means the world to C2C,” said Edwards. She continues to explain just how the UDWI REMC grant could impact the organization, adding “It means that babies will be diapered and healthy as parents go to school and work. It means families will be able to purchase food and pay utility bills. It means that Greene County and surrounding areas will have families that will have a more stable outlook about diapers and wipes for their children, and our local families can take a breath and feel dignity doing so.”

The grant was given as part of UDWI’s Community Fund, a non-profit organization created by the cooperative that provides members with an avenue to make a difference in their communities. The program allows members to round up their energy bills to the next whole dollar to create the funds. Then, the community fund board awards the amount collected to local organizations.

Other recipients of Community Fund grants in June included: Bloomfield First Baptist Church, Boy Scouts of America / Hoosier Trails Council, Eastern Greene Schools – Special Education Department, Extra Mile Ministries, First Baptist Church (Linton), Knights of Columbus Council #1166, Lawrence County Cancer Patient Services, Monroe County Humane Association, Open Arms Christian Ministries, Inc., Pregnancy Choices, and the Scotland Festival Committee.

The UDWI Community Fund is now accepting applications for its next grant cycle. All nonprofit businesses in UDWI’s service area are encouraged to apply. Please visit www.udwiremc.com to learn more about the program and to start an application.

UDWI REMC Thanks the Cooperative Community for Support During June Storm Outages

Written by Brooke Porter on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC would like to say “thank you” to all the cooperative members, employees, outside crews, and our communities for your support during last month’s supercell storm that ripped through our service territory. 

Messages from members were extremely encouraging as line and tree trimming crews worked day and night to replace nearly 100 poles, repair hundreds of lines, and restore 415 separate outages that affected 10,101 electric meters. This work accounted for 1,855 hours of labor throughout the week. We can’t thank you enough for your understanding, patience and kind words during this weather event. 

UDWI’s line crews also received assistance throughout the week from fellow cooperatives, contractors, and peers in the industry including: USC, Electricom, Intren, Hendricks Power, Boone County REMC, Henry County REMC, Parke County REMC, Clark County REMC, Daviess-Martin County REMC, Haley Brothers, and Hoosier Energy. In total, 57 outside employees stepped up to support UDWI which totaled 4,300 hours of contract labor, and we would like to express our gratitude to these crews for their hard work and sacrifice to assist us. 

Finally, our greatest appreciation to all UDWI team members from the line crews, Hoosier Heritage Management tree trimming, office personnel, dispatch, customer service representatives and more. You all played a major part in restoring power and providing excellent service to our members. CSRs answered more than 500 calls per day during the outage event, and leadership who worked nonstop to support crews in the field. This was a true team effort, and it does not go unnoticed. 

While we hope these outage events are few and far between, we stay prepared and ready to serve you, the member, when the next one hits.