Hundreds volunteer their time safely and virtually to support nonprofits and community projects

Hundreds of ComEd employees, family and friends are dedicating themselves to helping families and communities in need during National Volunteer Month in April. These essential workers made plans to donate their time to dozens of volunteer projects that will take place across the communities in which these employees work and live.

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Michele Ptaszek, ComEd’s manager of customer education and marketing from Naperville, IL, displays one of the superhero masks she created for foster children as part of The Safer at Home Superhero Project for National Volunteer Month. (Photo: Business Wire)

Last year, despite stay-at-home guidance passed by state governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ComEd employees sought out safe alternatives and volunteered more than 11,000 hours of their time, most of it virtually. They also raised more than $1.6 million to support communities and causes close to their hearts.

“As the energy company to more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, ComEd has a strong tradition of engagement in the neighborhoods we’re privileged to serve because we’re also a community partner that cares,” said Melissa Washington, senior vice president of governmental and external affairs, ComEd. “When the community needs us, our more than 6,000 dedicated employees are quick to share their time and resources to support those in need and see others succeed.”

Earlier this month, dozens of ComEd employees and their families volunteered virtually to create superhero kits in support of Together We Rise, a nonprofit that supports foster children across the nation, including some who may live in the areas ComEd serves. These volunteers were provided materials to create colored pillowcases and superhero masks for children in foster care.

National Volunteer Month is an annual, nationwide celebration of people working to improve their communities through volunteer service. For the 15th consecutive year, ComEd employees have organized dozens of community service projects for employees, family members and friends throughout April. Examples of ComEd's projects during National Volunteer Month include:

• April 20 (Chicago) – Submitting book-reading videos in English and Spanish, and virtually assembling activity kits for children and youth, at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
• April 21 (Encino, Calif.) – Assisting Operation Gratitude's mission to support U.S. troops and first responders by creating paracord survival bracelets for care packages.
• April 21 (Byron, Ill.) – Coordinating the socially distant cleanup of both sides of Illinois Route 2, between Kennedy Hill Road and Lake Louise, in honor of Earth Day.
• April 22 (Rockford, Ill.) – Loading vehicles with boxes of food at the Winnebago Community Market-Northern Illinois Foodbank’s socially distanced drive thru.
• April 29 (Chicago) – Supporting students pursuing STEM education by serving as virtual career panelists in advance of Project SYNCERE's 4th annual ENpowered Games Middle School Engineering Competition.

Each year, ComEd and its parent company, Exelon, recognize National Volunteer Month by empowering employees to design their own service projects and recruit others to participate. This year, employees across the Exelon companies will participate in hundreds of community service projects in April. Projects focus on education, environment, public safety initiatives, arts and culture, and neighborhood development programs, especially in ways that advance diversity, equity and inclusion.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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