This year, the Duke Energy NAYGN Chapter started a new event tradition – a NAYGN Community Service Week.   From July 11th– 19th, approximately 75 members from the six nuclear sites and corporate offices headed out into the communities around their respective sites in both North Carolina and South Carolina to help establish a positive representation of the nuclear industry.   The stories below provide a snapshot of those events:

 

Brookshire Freeway Cleanup

On Thursday, July 17th, the Charlotte and McGuire NAYGN members cleaned up a section of the Brookshire Freeway in Charlotte to aid in company effort’s to help the environment and the state’s “Keep NC Beautiful” campaign.  The large group split into two groups, walking 1.5 miles down each side of the highway, donning orange safety vests in the summer heat.   The organization of the activity, led by a summer intern, was also a great development opportunity.

Duke Freeway Pickup 3 

Concord Road Cleanup

On the afternoon of Thursday, July 17 members of Catawba NAYGN performed a clean-up effort along Concord Road. This is a stretch of road that all visitors and site workers must drive through as it leads to the entrance of the plant. The volunteers spent about two hours collecting trash from the side of the road.

Duke Community Service Week 3 

Keep Oconee Beautiful Adopt-A-Spot

Oconee NAYGN members participated in NAYGN Community Service Week by working with Keep Oconee Beautiful Association to “Adopt-A-Spot” near the entrances of Oconee Nuclear Station. This two-mile stretch of roadside is considered especially littered. Oconee NAYGN members and Duke Energy nuclear interns volunteered for the Adopt-A-Spot Litter Cleanup. They spent two hours collecting trash from the roadsides and collected 18 full bags of trash. After the cleanup, they were treated to popsicles on behalf of NAYGN.

Duke Oconee Adopt a Spot 

Cooper Black State Park Project

The Robinson Chapter of NAYGN went out to H. Cooper Black State Park on Thursday, July 17th. H. Cooper Black is a dog and horse park in Cheraw, SC with over 7000 acres of land. The park hosts several sporting and bird dog competitions a year as well as horse trail rides and competitions. The NAYGN members were able to paint the exterior and caulk their clubhouse and bathroom facility. NAYGNers were able to help the Park Rangers who wouldn’t have been able to do the project until next summer without the help of all the extra hands.

 

Carolina Beach State Park Cleanup

On Friday, July 18, Brunswick NAYGN set out to Carolina Beach State Park to make an impact in the local community.  Part of the land that Carolina Beach State Park now sits on once served as the old Town of Carolina Beach Landfill.  While it is no longer filled with garbage, there still remains thousands of glass pieces and old bottles from the landfill.  NAYGN members arrived first thing Friday morning to help the effort to remove the glass.  A solid effort was made and two large trash cans filled with debris were removed from the park.  It was a rewarding and fun experience for all involved!

Duke Park Cleanup 1 

Habitat for Humanity

Members of the Triangle NAYGN and summer interns volunteered for a local Habitat for Humanity project in Apex on Friday, July 18th. The group worked to clean and landscape the yard of an elderly lady, as well as replace a broken front door.

Duke Habitat for Humanity 

A huge thanks to the community service project leaders- Rebecca Willis, Amy Hill, Billy Nguyen, Mikayla Kreuzberger, Miles Norton , and Jen Goodson for all their hard work organizing! A huge thanks to all the volunteers who came out in the heat of the summer to make a difference in local communities!