October 29, 2020

Each year, FirstEnergy employees find ways to help ensure children in our service territory have a great start to the school year. This year, even during the pandemic, we continued our tradition.

Toledo Edison employees held a back-to-school drive for Riverside Elementary students where there was greater need this year. Our employees donated clothing, pajamas, socks, school supplies, face masks, backpacks and personal hygiene items for the students and their families. Also included in the delivery were thank-you packages containing tissues, a calculator, envelopes, a notebook, cleaner, mini-first aid kit and granola bars for all 47 teachers.

Employees at the Fairmont Contact Center and our Helping Women GROW (HWG) Community Outreach Committee (Fairmont chapter) hosted a Helping Kids Thrive – Back-to-School Drive. The group collected masks, hand sanitizer, wipes, boxes of tissue, bottles of disinfecting cleaner, pencils, crayons, notebooks, glue sticks and much more. The items were safely delivered to two local schools.

Akron-area employees helped kickoff the school year for Akron Public School students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Over a four-day period, employee volunteers filled nearly 11,400 FirstEnergy Power Packs with school supplies. On Oct. 4, the packs were distributed to students from the district’s 41 elementary schools during a limited-contact drive-through event at North and Kenmore-Garfield high schools. More than 5,000 cars passed through, and the Akron METRO bus service provided free travel to and from the event for families without vehicles. In addition, Akron Public Schools provided backpacks to students who are without permanent homes. This donation helped fill the gap created when the COVID-19 health emergency caused the cancellation of the area’s annual “Stuff the Bus” program presented by the United Way of Summit and Medina.

At the drive, front row, l.-r. are: three Riverside teachers displaying supply boxes. Back row, l.-r.: Nate Mollenhauer, Riverside principal; Lindey Kline and Trina Myers, Customer Account representatives; Jared Graff, supervisor, Meter Reading; and Chad Tremaine, supervisor, Engineering.

HWG Outreach Committee members Mary Beth Payne, Customer Service assistant (l.), and Tammy Fluharty, supervisor, Customer Contact Center, with some of the donations.

At packing event are, l.-r.: Han Guo, intern, Insurance and Operation Risk Management, and Terry Killeen, manager, Regional External Affairs. The cinch-style backpacks contained items approved by the school district to help students successfully continue their school year from home. The packs included notebook paper, folders, glue, pencils, sharpener, hand sanitizer and a dry erase board, marker and eraser. Several of the items were purchased from minority-owned businesses.

Louie the Lightning Bug and volunteers greet parents and students during drive-through pickup.​