Kemper employees start Community Connection chapter

A new chapter of Community Connection, Mississippi Power’s employee service organization, has formed at the Kemper County energy facility and already membership is growing.

Officially known as the Plant Ratcliffe chapter of Community Connection, it is the first to be created since the organization began at Mississippi Power in 2003 and the seventh chapter to be formed.

Chapter President Tripp Ward was excited by the number of employees who joined during the initial membership drive on July 8. “Our goal was 50 members and we had 80 employees who joined during the meeting,” Ward said. “Since then, our number has grown to 90 and we expect to top 100 members.”

The chapter’s first service project, United Way of East Mississippi’s – Stuff the Bus is complete. Members collected school supplies and uniforms and delivered them to the collection site at Dumont Plaza in Meridian where the collections were stuffed into a bus.

“John Huggins, vice president of Generation Development, was vital in getting our Community Connection chapter started here at Kemper,” Ward said. “At the membership drive, he discussed what a great opportunity this is for both the work family and each employee’s family to get involved and give back to the community.”

Employees will also benefit from getting to know their brothers and sisters on the job by seeing them outside of work.

Ward also thanked Sam Sumner, plant manager and his management team for their tremendous support in getting the chapter started. “Without their support our chapter would not have been possible,” he said. “We’re working hard to complete the plant and yet they made getting the chapter started a priority.”