More than 25 GUC employees spent their lunch break volunteering for the first GUC Community Cleanup event, picking up litter in and near the downtown in honor of Earth Day (April 22).
This event is the first of its kind just for GUC employees and was coordinated by one of the 2024 iLead groups. GUC Community Cleanup was created to enhance community engagement, promote environmental stewardship, and foster team collaboration among employees from all departments.
It was clear that the Earth Day clean up did just that. Teams broke off to scour downtown and the Town Commons to pick up litter in an effort to create a cleaner community. They returned with buckets and buckets of paper, cans, wires, plastics, and even old shoes.
Meter Technician II Enrique Basabe-Benitez walked the areas by the courthouse and along Evans Street.
He said, “I am here because I want to help make Greenville better. We are committed at GUC to improving our community.”
Dell Lassiter, Damage Prevention Technician I and member of the iLead group who coordinated the event, offered a welcome message to volunteers and said “we have worked as a team to bring this program together.”
This is the first in the group’s plan for biannual cleanups. Another GUC Community Cleanup event is slated for November.
The members of the iLead team are Aracley Smith (HR), Brandon Jones (Meter), Doug Boone (Electric), Dell, Ernest Overton (Meter), Taylor Nethercutt (IT), and Jessica Hardy (Finance).
Carrie Peed, Organizational Development and Training Manager, coordinator of each year’s iLead cohort, was on hand to thank and help volunteers. Sam Evans, Safety Specialist II and Lighthouse Coordinator, gave the safety brief detailing safe clean up practices.
The volunteers were Cort Bazemore (HR), Enrique, Dustin Jenkins (Meter), Glenn Crumpler (Gas), Branson Rogers (Gas), Logan Smith (Gas), Courtney Basile (IT), Michelle Edmundson (IT), Eban Kea (IT), Renee Gibson (Customer Relations), Nathan Johnson (Customer Relations), Colleen Sicley (Customer Relations), Juliet Telfair (Customer Relations), Jonathan Sergeant (Energy Services), David Horn (ENC Alliance), Porter Harris (WWTP), Cynthia Langley (Finance), Caitlyn McLawhorn (Finance), and Anthony Whitehead (WTP).
