POWERGRAMS

6 Baker, to test the waters. They met with retirees and employees in each division to determine support. By the end of 1988, every division had retiree groups or was well into the planning stages for groups. Energizers became a 501(c) (3) organization in 1996 under the umbrella of the Alabama Power Foundation, with O'Daniel serving as Energizers state coordinator. SHOWING THE LOVE For John Mills, a 20-year member of Southeast Division Energizers, volunteering is the way he demonstrates his loyalty to Alabama Power. "We've always wanted people to see we are loyal to the company," said Mills, member at large for the Energizers state board of directors and the state president from 1996 to 2000. Mills said his 180-member chapter is fortunate to meet quarterly in the Southeast Division Auditorium. There, members hold a yearly auction of Energizer-made offerings such as furniture, baked goods, honey, kindling, quilts and household items. Mills is extremely proud that Southeast members – like those in each Energizers chapter – earn the money they invest into communities. "We try to select needy charities in almost every place we've got a business office," Mills said. "Eufaula is small, but we have lots of retirees. People make things for the auction, and it's a fun time being together. "Energizers is all about the fellowship," he said. "I get to see folks I wouldn't be able to see. Lots of members travel 60 miles to get to a meeting and back. And the annual Energizers leadership conferences include company leaders who keep us tied in to know what's going on." In his 12th consecutive year of leadership, O'Daniel's Energizers role is "organic" to the retiree population: Until 1996, his job was to calculate pensions and coordinate retiree functions. Since retiring in 1998, O'Daniel has attended as many Energizer chapter meetings as possible. He became Energizers state president in 2004 and drives more than 12,000 miles a year, testament to his enjoyment in keeping in touch with long-ago co- workers. A well-known "people person," O'Daniel will seek another two-year term in October. "I don't want to give it up," he said. "Energizers is a great forum for the company. We provide such a great service to communities. We represent the company very well." O'Daniel is most proud of Energizers' donations to Project Lifesaver, which have allowed the Alabama Department of Public Safety to outfit people likely to get lost – those with Alzheimer's, Down syndrome or autism – with transmitter bracelets. "We've donated over $95,000 to Project Lifesaver in the last seven years," O'Daniel said. "Project Lifesaver actually saves lives and provides a very good service to families of those who get lost. We're the nation's single-largest contributor. With our donations, we've enabled all 67 Alabama counties to participate in Project Lifesaver." Alabama is the first state in the nation to have all counties equipped and trained in Project Lifesaver. IMPROVING LIVES Chuck and Mary Jo Hrabe, Mobile Chapter president and secretary/ reporter, have enjoyed a 20-year membership in Energizers. Chuck was state president from 2000 to 2002. As charter members, the couple attended early Energizers retreats in Eufaula, Mobile, Montgomery and Talladega. "The retreats were a lot of fun," said Mary Jo, secretary for the Energizers state board since 1999. The Hrabes and other chapter members take pleasure in helping children at the Southeast Alabama Regional School for the Deaf and Blind. For more than 10 years, arranging a big Christmas party for the schoolchildren has been one of Mobile Chapter's favorite projects. On Dec. 15, 2015, Mobile members celebrated with 65 students, faculty and staff at the school on Burma Road. "It's a fabulous, fabulous project," Hrabe said. "The first week of November, we all go to Target one morning and buy gifts, then wrap and store them until the school staff distributes them to students at the party." Before she retired in 2010, current Corporate Energizer Glenda Taylor was recruited by chapter President Bill Hanks as his president-elect. As one who loves to help others, Taylor served in every leadership position, except treasurer, in the Alabama Power Service Organization volunteer group. "The most fun is being with the people, and the service projects we do," said Taylor, who helps organize a large, yearly auction at Corporate Headquarters that supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, First First state president John Mills in 1987. Even "Elvis" said "Thank ya very much" to the Energizers in 2005. Mary Jo and Chuck Hrabe enjoy an Energizers function in Panama City.

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