A summer of service in Kemper County

Members of the Community Connection chapter of the Kemper County energy facility spent the summer helping to raise thousands of dollars and volunteering – all to help better Kemper County and the surrounding area.

“For us, it’s about more than just living and working here,” said Tripp Ward, Kemper County energy facility Community Connection organizer. “Our company and its people make it a priority to give back to the community and make it better.”

In June at Kemper County’s Relay for Life effort to help fight cancer, Community Connection members Jenna Roney and Patrick Gordon organized an effort which contributed more than $10,000 for the county’s overall Relay for Life effort. Raffling a fishing trip and one-night stay at Biloxi’s Beau Rivage Resort, the 20-member Mississippi Power team provided the largest contribution by a single relay team in Kemper County.

Later, Community Connection members regrouped to support the United Way of East Mississippi’s “Stuff the Bus” campaign.  Kemper team members Jessica Gressett, Cathy Sowell and Brandi Irby led an effort to partner with Liberty Fuels — which manages the energy facility’s adjacent lignite mine — to collect school supplies and uniforms for students at Kemper County Schools. The effort provided uniforms as well as another $700 in uniform vouchers for school administrators to distribute.

“Our students now walk through the doors feeling confident and looking phenomenal,” Buenia Clark, East Kemper Elementary principal, said.

At East Kemper Elementary, Community Connection members found an opportunity to improve the school by painting the school’s hallways.

“The Kemper County energy facility will soon be commercially operational and is slated to serve our customers for at least 40 years,” Ward said. “With projects like these, we’ve built great relationships and a foundation for community partnership that will, like our plant, last for decades.”