Duke Energy Cares

Duke Energy is a committed partner of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Over the years, our partnership has touched countless lives and made a real difference in our community. Another example of that commitment was demonstrated last Thursday when Duke Energy employees participated in yet another United Way We Care Experience. The event, held onsite at the Duke Energy office in Asheville, helped create 141 Personal Care Kits for local students experiencing homelessness. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who volunteered at this event.

In Service 

As one of four key strategies that make up our work to reduce the impact of poverty on students, their families and communities, Hands On Asheville-Buncombe creates both short-term and long-term opportunities for community members to support one another. One of those opportunities is called a We Care Experience. We Care Experiences provide volunteers with opportunities to reduce the impact of poverty and educate themselves on community needs — all in the most convenient manner possible. Hand On brings the projects to the work place, facilitates the opportunity and ensures the kits assembled make it to the people who need it most. 

We all know how hard it is to concentrate at work when you're hungry, are dealing with high stress situations or have a personal crisis such as illness impacting you and/or your family. Now imagine trying to pay attention in class when you're dealing with these problems as a pre-teen or teenager, some of which are far worse than we can possibly imagine. With 1 in 5 students under the age of 18 living in poverty, the situation just mentioned is far too common and completely unacceptable. We believe it's the community's responsibility to align itself with schools and families to support students by helping them to remove the baggage they're carrying. We believe once this is accomplished students are free to focus on learning, teachers on teaching and families receive the additional support needed to improve their situation. 

The ability of people to work willingly together for the betterment of their community and themselves is one of the most valuable resources society has. Amazing things happen when individuals from all walks of life roll up their sleeves and commit to making a meaningful contribution to a better community. Duke Energy volunteers and donors are central to this effort. for your support, we say thank you!

Committed, Engaged

In 2017, Duke Energy has partnered with United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County on three separate projects, engaging 45 volunteers and giving nearly 200 hours of service. Giving back to the community that sustains us is much more than mere window-dressing for Duke Energy, it's deeply engrained in their culture — it's a part of who they are and guides their organization's overall strategy and philosophy. This year, our partnership's projects included building modular components for a low ropes course and clearing parts of the 40 acre campus at Owen Middle School, improving the campus at Erwin Middle School and creating personal care kits for students. Not only does Duke Energy donate hundreds of hours to the community each year through their employee volunteer program, they also donate tens of thousands of dollars to support local students, their families and communities. That is an incredible investment in our shared values and goals. Thank you, Duke Energy!

Next Steps

We know our friends at Duke Energy understand that large-scale change isn't accomplished by a single individual or group and that it doesn't happen overnight. They understand and are committed to long-term engagement. As such, we strongly encourage Duke Energy employees to take one or more of the steps listed below. We look forward to working with Duke in 2018 and beyond! Thank you for all you do!