Colstrip employees organize their first United Way Days of Caring

PPL Montana employees at the Colstrip power plant organized their first official United Way Day of Caring events recently in Lame Deer and Forsyth.

About 20 PPL Montana employees braved a late autumn snow on Nov. 20 and traveled from Colstrip to spend the day volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Cheyenne Nation in Lame Deer.

The PPL Montana crew cleared a plugged sewer line, allowing the club to reopen for the children and a Thanksgiving meal to be served. Employees also installed a new door, insulated windows and improved the safety of the electrical systems in the kitchen. 

On Thursday (11/29), six PPL Montana employees helped the staff and residents at the Rosebud County Nursing Home in Forsyth decorate for the holidays.

“We’re continually grateful for the generous support from PPL Montana employees for our annual campaign,” said Carol Burton, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Yellowstone County in Billings.

“It’s great to see this kind of grass-roots initiative by PPL Montana employees in Colstrip who volunteered their time to help these worthy organizations, which do so much good in their communities,” Burton said. “Whether it’s providing skilled labor or monetary resources, PPL Montana employees serve as a model for other companies throughout eastern Montana.”

United Way of Yellowstone County administers programs in Rosebud County.

Lisa Perry, community affairs manager for PPL Montana, said the Day of Caring events were all about giving something back to the people of Rosebud County.

“Support of our communities is a core value at PPL Montana, and we’re proud of the contribution that our employees make through United Way,” Perry said. “By organizing these Days of Caring, PPL Montana employees in Colstrip have begun a new tradition that will truly make a difference in Rosebud County.”

PPL Montana Colstrip employee Bob Custer, mobile equipment mechanic foreman, organized the volunteer work in Forsyth. Employees Debbi Beartusk Dove, an administrative assistant, and Tim RedBird, a utility man, organized the volunteers who worked at the Boys and Girls Club in Lame Deer. 

The Lame Deer club has grown to two sites serving about 800 children ages 5 through 18 with after-school programs, tutoring and meals, among other services. More than 100 children are fed every weekday — for some it may be their only meal of the day.

The Rosebud County Nursing Home is a 55-bed facility that is staffed 24 hours a day. It is attached to the Rosebud County Hospital so medical care is always quickly available for residents.