​MAYS LANDING, N.J. (Oct. 11, 2021) – Three local Atlantic City Electric employees have been recognized with the company's highest achievement for volunteerism and community involvement.  Karen Adam, Robert Bugdon and Michael Winkler have received the Powering Communities Employee Volunteer Award for their incredible volunteer work during 2020 and the challenges presented by the pandemic. As part of the recognition, Atlantic City Electric's parent company, Exelon, announced a combined $30,000 in charitable contributions to the local nonprofits that the award winners support.

"Our employee volunteers represent the best of our company values and it is an honor to recognize their passion for giving back and to celebrate their outstanding contributions," said Mellanie Kai Lassiter, senior manager of Corporate Relations for Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric. "We recognize that our shared commitment to corporate responsibility and the actions of many can have a powerful impact in the community that is strengthened through support for the amazing organizations that our employees are most passionate about."

This year's Powering Communities Employee Volunteer Award winners were selected for their contributions to the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, Lauderdale Volunteer Fire Company and Newtown Fire Association.

• Karen Adam, administrative coordinator, received the Exelon Powering Communities Achievement Award, which provides a $10,000 grant, for work with the Girls Scouts of the Jersey Shore. Adam helps girls grow into confident young women, volunteering for seven years with Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, which serves over 10,000 girls in Ocean and Monmouth counties. She leads two troops – second-grade Brownies and sixth grade Cadettes – and encourages the girls to expand their horizons by providing them with opportunities and giving them confidence to explore new things.
• Robert Bugdon, streetlight serviceperson, received the Exelon Powering Communities Achievement Award and a $10,000 grant for work with Lauderdale Volunteer Fire Company. While other kids idolized superheroes or athletes or entertainers, Bugdon knew who the real heroes of his community were. To him, it was always the firefighters. Since 1997, Bugdon has served as a volunteer firefighter with Lauderdale Volunteer Fire Company in western New Jersey. Now serving as a captain, he is primarily responsible for keeping his crew safe on response calls. He leads a truck and its crew, training other volunteers on each piece of equipment.
• Michael Winkler, IT manager, received the Exelon Powering Communities Achievement Award and a $10,000 grant for work with the Newtown Fire Association. Inspired by the passing of his cousin on September 11, 2001, Winkler became a firefighter and is currently a member of the Newtown Fire Association to make a difference. In 2020 alone, Winkler performed CPR on six patients and responded to 40 percent of the department's 367 calls. He also manages the recruitment/retention committee.

For the 16^th year, 24 employees across the Exelon family of companies were recognized for their efforts and their nonprofit partners each received grants from the company, totaling $200,000. An external selection committee, comprised of leaders from the nonprofit community, selected these dedicated individuals for their volunteer efforts. Since its inception, the Powering Communities Employee Volunteer Awards program has recognized more than 260 employees and provided more than $1.7 million to nonprofit partners.

The Powering Communities program aligns with the company's purpose of powering a cleaner and brighter future for its customers and communities. Through the program, hundreds of Atlantic City Electric employees volunteer thousands of hours annually to support initiatives they are passionate about to make the communities in which they reside better places to live and work. 

In 2020, Atlantic City Electric contributed more than $1.1 million to local nonprofits, while its employees volunteered nearly 11,000 hours—which is more than 1,375 workdays—to benefit approximately 176 organizations throughout southern New Jersey. Together, employees at Atlantic City Electric and the Exelon family of companies volunteered more than 133,000 hours with a variety of organizations across the country in 2020. The pandemic in 2020 posed many challenges and employee volunteers were able to quickly pivot to a virtual approach to volunteerism that made these achievements possible.

Click here to learn more about the 2021 Powering Communities Employee Volunteer Award recipients.

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