POWERGRAMS

18 more than $130,000 to give locator bracelets to anyone suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia or autism. "Things like this are what I'm most proud of, about what we did for Alabama residents," O'Daniel said. With help from Energizers, the $375 bracelets are used by hundreds of Alabamians. As the Project Lifesaver liaison for the Elmore County Sheriff 's Department, O'Daniel has outfied many people with the devices. He oen counsels caregivers. Several times, O'Daniel has dropped everything to help locate a person who has wandered away from home. The bracelets emit a radio signal, which O'Daniel can pick up on a receiver in his car. "I'm changing baeries in folks' bracelets every 60 days in Elmore County," O'Daniel said. "I have a database on my computer with all my clients listed. When a baery is due, I go and change it." Cpl. Kent Smith of the Alabama State Trooper Aviation Unit said O'Daniel singlehandedly has made bracelets available to people in need – unsurprisingly for a former Eagle Scout. "I can't even put into words what Bob has done for this program," said Smith, a trooper for 18 years. "These bracelets are huge for caregivers. It takes a tremendous load off of them. It's off the charts. "Bob has had such a huge impact on families in Alabama," Smith said. "I took Bob with me to see families when they placed bracelets on their loved ones. He spoke firsthand to the Energizers and told them, 'I was there. The families were so thankful.' This is Bob's legacy." O'Daniel said at the start of the Energizers fundraising, only 44 of Alabama's 67 counties had Project Lifesaver. "We donated particularly to get the program to counties in southwest Alabama," he said. "It took about four years, and we had a hootenanny when we covered all 67 counties." A leader who doesn't quit O'Daniel retired when he was 58 but worked in the Alabama Power Foundation as an adviser, helping Energizers get started. "I always got a lot of pleasure from helping people, especially our employees and retirees," O'Daniel said. "There's no perfect job, I guess, but I think I had one." Helping others remains high on O'Daniel's list of things to accomplish. For seven weeks, he drove more than 1,400 miles taking a cancer patient from Eclectic to treatments in Birmingham. When he's not busy on his farm, O'Daniel is oen at Central Baptist Church, north of Wetumpka. He sings bass in the 24-member choir and is on the building and grounds commiee. He trims shrubbery, kills weeds in the church memory gardens and removes trash from the road. Going forward, O'Daniel will be a member-at-large, voting in semiannual meetings and consulting about Energizers business. As he "gears down," O'Daniel's lifelong principles continue to frame everything he does. "I love God, I love my family and I love people," he said. By Donna Cope O'Daniel's legacy includes statewide support of Project Lifesaver.

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