Byron Station employees donate $185,000 to community organizations through employee giving campaign; Nuclear plant workers also distributed food and children’s gifts for Christmas

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Byron Station employees (from right) Natasha Beard and Cory Lance delivered a truckload of Christmas gifts to Rock House Kids this week. The gifts were donated by the nuclear plant’s employees as part of their ‘Secret Santa’ program.”

Exelon Generation employees and the Exelon Foundation are donating more than $4.6 million to support charitable organizations in the communities around its power plants. Employees pledged more than $3.1 million to 849 different charities in their local communities this year. And for every dollar employees pledged, the Exelon Foundation donated 50 cents to their local United Way, bringing the total donation to more than $4.6 million.

At Byron Generating Station, employees pledged more than $185,000 to dozens of local charities during this year’s Employee Giving Campaign. Organizations supported include Village of Progress in Oregon, Veteran’s Drop-In Center in Rockford, Pinecrest Community in Mt. Morris, Shining Star Children’s Advocacy Center in Dixon, and many more.

“In the spring we were in desperate need of new shelving to update our facility, and Byron Station stepped up to help us meet that need,” said Kathy Wragg of the Polo Food Pantry.

“Now they’ve brought us hundreds of non-perishable items and a monetary donation to ensure our needy families will be taken care of during the holidays. It’s a great blessing.”

The monetary donation and non-perishable items were collected during a recent breakfast of retired workers at the station’s training facility. Employees have also been busy: a vanload of toys was delivered to the US Marines “Toys for Tots” initiative, bags of warm coats, hats and gloves was given to Shelter Care in Rockford, and a half-dozen other non-profits in the area received nearly 250 “Secret Santa” gifts for children.

“We have strong bonds with the communities that surround our nuclear energy facilities,” said Bryan Hanson, Exelon Nuclear chief nuclear officer. “We believe strongly in investing where we live, work and serve.”

Exelon Generation employees have a long-standing tradition of supporting their communities, not just with their dollars, but also with their time. Through Nov. 30, 2019, Exelon Generation employees at Byron Station volunteered more than 1,500 hours with charitable organizations in the local area.

Across Exelon Generation, employees volunteered 38,000 hours this year, which is equal to more than four years’ time. Projects supported workforce development programs, STEM education events, environmental causes, food pantries and veterans’ organizations, among many others.

Byron Generating Station is in Ogle County, Ill., about 20 miles southwest of Rockford. With both units at full power, the site produces almost 2,500 megawatts, enough electricity to power more than 2 million average American homes.