Not yet a member?Join now!|Lost password
PGE - Portland General Electric Company
PGE - Portland General Electric Company
12/19/2012 | Press release
PGE crew dispatcher raises funds for charity 1 burpee at a time
distributed by noodls on 12/19/2012 14:42
Dec. 19, 2012
PGE crew dispatcher raises funds for charity 1 burpee at a time
More than 1,700 PGE employees donate almost $1.7 million for local organizations
More than 1,700 PGE employees donate almost $1.7 million for local organizations
PORTLAND, Ore. - No matter where in the world Rod Haines is, he makes time for burpees. The PGE crew dispatcher does the full-body exercises every day to raise awareness and money for the local multiple sclerosis chapter as part of the annual PGE Employee Giving Campaign.
"On January 1, I did one burpee and on December 31, I will do 366 burpees," Haines explained, noting 2012 is a leap year. "Multiple sclerosis doesn't take a day off and I won't either."
Haines' motivation to pump out daily burpees comes from his mother diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 16 years ago. Friends and family support the longtime PGE employee with donations for every burpee he does.
Haines is one of more than 1,700 PGE employees and 140 retirees who donated almost $1.7 million this year, including PGE's 50 percent match, for their favorite charities.
View PGE employees' and Haines' employee giving story video news storyTrouble viewing? Watch on YouTube.
"I'm very proud of what they've done and their generosity in this year's campaign is outstanding," said Jim Piro, PGE president and CEO. "Every year, especially during challenging economic times, we never know how much we are going to raise, but once again our employees have stepped up to support the organizations they care about."
A record 66 percent of PGE employees participated in this year's campaign benefiting more than 1,000 nonprofits and schools. Nationwide, the employee giving average is 35 percent.
During the campaign, PGE's 2,600 employees and 1,000 retirees can designate any charitable nonprofit or accredited school to receive their pledges, and PGE matches their contributions by 50 percent.
This year's top recipients include: Oregon Food Bank, Work for Art, Oregon State University Foundation, Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation, Providence Medical Foundation - Providence Cancer Center, Emanuel Medical Center Foundation - Oregon Burn Center, Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Dougy Center for Grieving Children, and Oregon HEAT.
Since the company match program began in 1999, PGE and its employees and retirees have contributed more than $15.8 million to their communities.
# # #
About Portland General Electric Company: Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves approximately 829,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon.
For more information, contact:
Elaina Medina, PGE, 503-464-8790
