For Immediate Release: November 7, 2018
Tucson, Ariz. – While Tucson Electric Power employees volunteer year round, they’re stepping up their efforts during the holidays to support several charitable and seasonal events to make the season brighter for our community.
“It’s a time of year when our employees want to give back, and TEP provides plenty of opportunities for them to do that,” said Wendy Erica Werden, TEP’s Community Investment and Philanthropy Manager.
In just five weeks from Nov. 8 through Dec. 15, TEP employees will be collecting food, toys and clothing, serving meals to homeless men, fundraising for various charities and staffing seasonal community events. Some events are sponsored by the company, while others are organized by TEP’s Community Action Team or a group of employees.
“Volunteerism is at the very heart of our company’s culture,” Werden said. “Our employees contribute thousands of hours every year to hundreds of local nonprofit agencies and causes, and they often bring their families – particularly at this time of year.”
TEP employee volunteers are participating in the following events this holiday season:
Thursday, Nov. 8: Thanksgiving on the Mayflower – Volunteers from TEP’s Community Action Team will collect food and cash donations for Thanksgiving on the Mayflower, an annual event that benefits the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. TEP employees will collect food and cash for the Food Bank at the Bookmans at 3330 E. Speedway Blvd. from 6-8 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. The drive runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Besides providing the people power and generators and lighting towers to support this 12-hour drive, TEP also is matching cash donations up to $20,000.
Sunday, Nov. 11: Primavera Men’s Shelter Meal Team – Parent/child teams from TEP will prepare and serve a nutritious lunch to the residents at the Primavera Men’s Shelter, which houses up to 100 men. TEP employees and their children help with meals at the Primavera shelter several times throughout the year, not just during the holidays.
Friday, Nov. 30 – Sunday, Dec. 9: Luminaria Nights at Tucson Botanical Garden – TEP volunteers will help staff this enchanting evening event, which features walking tours through the gardens that are lit by 2,500 luminarias, dance and music performances and food and drink. TEP volunteers will assist with lighting and replacing candles, patrolling the paths to keep foot traffic moving smoothly and assisting guests on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 8.
Sunday, Dec. 2: Pima Animal Care Center’s Party with the Pets – TEP volunteers will make treats and toys for pets at this daylong event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., which celebrates the center’s first year in its new facility. Those who attend will be treated to glitter tattoos, rock painting, tours, music, games and giveaways.
Thursday, Dec. 6: American Red Cross Blood Drive – What better gift to give than the gift of life? TEP employees and their family members and friends will again roll up their sleeves to donate blood to the American Red Cross at TEP’s downtown headquarters. A long-time supporter of the Red Cross, TEP hosts several blood drives at its headquarters and Irvington locations each year. The public is invited to register in advance to give blood that day by visiting redcrossblood.org and entering “TEPDOWNTOWN” as the sponsor code or to call Donor Client Support Center at 866-236-3276.
Friday, Dec. 7 – Wednesday, Dec. 19: Zoo Lights at the Reid Park Zoological Society – TEP is proud to sponsor this magical holiday event at the zoo that features thousands of twinkling lights and lighted animal displays, falling snow, food and drink and music. Patrons are invited to make donations to the Community Food Bank, Tucson-A-List and the Humane Society of Southern Arizona to receive $1 off admission.
Saturday, Dec. 8: Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson Annual Shopping Spree – A small army of 100 TEP volunteers will take deserving children shopping for shoes, socks, jackets and other clothing essentials during the club’s holiday shopping spree at Kohl’s. TEP also will provide breakfast for the children that morning.
Saturday, Dec. 8: AVIVA Kruizin’ for Kidz Holiday Parade – TEP employees with motorcycles ride in this annual parade to benefit children in foster care in Pima County. Participants are asked to donate a new, unwrapped toy. All of the proceeds raised will go toward providing holiday gifts and basic necessity items for children in foster care through AVIVA Children’s Services. About 30 TEP employees and their family members ride their motorcycles for this cause.
Saturday, Dec. 8 – Wednesday, Dec. 26: Winterhaven Festival of Lights – TEP is the title sponsor of this popular, family-friendly festival that attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually to the tree-lined streets of this historic midtown neighborhood. The company also deploys dozens of employees in bucket trucks to hang Christmas lights for the festival, which also raises food and money for the Community Food Bank.
Saturday, Dec. 15: Annual Downtown Parade of Lights – Every year, TEP joins the community in celebrating the season by sponsoring the Downtown Parade of Lights. TEP employees and their family members decorate TEP trucks and then ride them in the parade. This year’s theme for TEP’s entry is “Down on the Solar Farm.”
Saturday, Dec. 15: Assembling Food Bags for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona – A team of TEP employees will devote their Saturday morning to assembling and packing bags of food that will be distributed to local families in the community by the Food Bank. TEP teams assist the Food Bank with food bag assembly a few times a year.
TEP provides safe, reliable and affordable electric service to approximately 424,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information about TEP, visit tep.com. TEP and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis, Inc., which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. To learn more, visit fortisinc.com.
News Media Contact
Sherri Cadeaux
(520) 884-3923
scadeaux@tep.com
