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Entergy Arkansas highlights community engagement for National Volunteer Month
04/25/2024
At Entergy Arkansas, our employees are not only dedicated to providing reliable power to our customers but also to personally giving back to the communities in which we live and work. April is National Volunteer Month, and the company is proud of the year-round commitment our employees make to volunteering and making a difference in communities throughout our service territory.
Our employees carry out that task every day, engaging in our communities and providing thousands of volunteer hours to make them better. In 2023, employees in Arkansas dedicated more than 29,000 hours of volunteer service valued at over $922,000.
“As a company, our mission is to continually improve the communities we serve and create sustainable value and quality of life,” said Brandi Hinkle with Entergy Arkansas Corporate Social Responsibility. “Employees do this through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy.”
Our philanthropic focus
Across the company, those efforts are focused primarily on the broad pillars of poverty solutions, education and workforce development, and environmental programs. Additionally, the areas of healthy families, arts and culture, and community enrichment are part of the overall strategy to contribute to a society that is healthy, educated, environmentally safe and productive.
“Each employee is encouraged to volunteer a minimum of 16 hours per year – on the clock – but also to go above and beyond that to impact our friends and neighbors in a positive way,” Hinkle said. “We reward those employees with a grant of $250 to the nonprofit of their choice for every 20 hours of volunteer service, up to $750 per year.
“By using our dollars and time to alleviate food insecurity, provide equitable education and workforce opportunities, and help sustain healthy families, we can help our customers and their families move beyond survival into growth and greater well-being,” Hinkle said.
Grants are funded from shareholder profit, not customer dollars, and company shareholders contributed nearly $2 million to nonprofit partners in Arkansas that align with our areas of focus. More than 200 grants were awarded, many of which also included volunteer opportunities for employees. Programs that were funded ranged from emergency response and relief services to scholarships and youth services, food pantries and community safety events.
The largest grants were given to six nonprofits to celebrate the company’s 110th anniversary. Each of the following organizations received a $110,000 grant as part of the Entergy Arkansas Bright Futures Campaign:
- Arkansas Community Foundation
- Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
- Arkansas STEM Coalition
- Habitat for Humanity
- The Nature Conservancy
- Women’s Foundation of Arkansas
Along with receiving the grant, each of these organizations will provide Entergy Arkansas employees with opportunities to volunteer and help with designated projects, such as stuffing backpacks with food for children in need or planting trees and litter cleanup.
Doing more in ‘24
So far in 2024, Entergy Arkansas employees aim to exceed last year’s service hours and have already participated in several important volunteer initiatives to help and serve our customers. A few of the largest endeavors this year include:
Super Tax Day
IRS-certified volunteers with Entergy Arkansas and other nonprofit partners provided free tax return preparation for qualified customers as part of the federal Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and other services at Super Tax Day events throughout tax season. During the Super Tax Day events, customers receive counseling regarding tax credits and deductions they may be eligible for, including the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, one of the nation’s most effective means of lifting Americans out of poverty. Tax preparation volunteers help customers determine if they are eligible for this and other tax credits in an effort to maximize their tax refunds.
Eclipse glasses
In preparation for the April 8 total solar eclipse, Entergy Arkansas partnered with the Arkansas STEM Coalition to purchase and distribute free eclipse glasses to all public schools in our service territory. A grant from Entergy Arkansas helped fund the purchase of more than 625,000 pairs of eclipse glasses, enough for all preK-12 students, teachers and staff. Volunteers from the STEM Coalition, Entergy Arkansas and other groups worked for more than six weeks to sort and deliver the glasses.
Girls of Promise STEAM conference
Entergy Arkansas participated in the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas Girls of Promise “Full STEAM Ahead” conference, which introduced 8th grade girls across the state to potential STEAM careers. Nearly 150 girls from 20 counties were able to meet women leaders in the fields of engineering, finance and more. The goal is to increase the number of girls in higher-level STEAM courses and careers to put them on the path to achieving economic security as adults.
We have planned philanthropy events each month throughout the year with our existing partners and are continually looking for new partners and ways to impact the communities we serve. Entergy is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture that inspires all individuals to work together to operate a world-class energy business for our customers, employees, communities and owners now and into the future. We’re proud to say that every employee volunteer hour makes a difference in achieving our goals.
