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BPU Receives National Award for Community Service

BPU Receives National Award for Community Service

(KANSAS CITY, Ks.) —The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities in Kansas City, Kansas, received an American Public Power Association Sue Kelly Community Service Award during the American Public Power Association’s National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The award recognizes “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitment of the utility and its employees to the community.

The award, established in 1990, recognizes “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitment of a utility and its employees to the community, and is widely coveted within the industry.

The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has a commitment that goes beyond utility services to its customers. Kansas City BPU strives to improve the community in which it operates through a comprehensive corporate social responsibility effort. This includes donations and sponsorships, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, and a coordinated response aimed to help customers overcome COVID-19 challenges. Kansas City BPU and its employees contribute and invest financially in a number of local initiatives, including the area’s Summer Youth Program and the Customer Hardship Payment Assistance & Utility Assistance programs.

Additionally, Kansas City BPU encourages its employees to give back through volunteer service activities. Service projects have included delivering meals to families on Thanksgiving, back-to-school supply funding, and a toy drive to support homeless children during the holidays. Kansas City BPU also undertook numerous initiatives to assist customers impacted by the pandemic, including putting in place and extending flexible payment arrangement options and waiving late payment and reconnection fees.

The Community Service Award, including a video highlighting the utility’s community giving efforts, was presented to a BPU delegation at a general session attended by industry leaders from across the nation. “BPU has demonstrated its dedication through a mix of donations, volunteer work, environmental advocacy, and civic leadership,” stated APPA leadership before the presentation.

“We are pleased to be recognized as one of the nation’s top utilities for supporting, and assisting, the community it serves,” stated Bill Johnson, General Manager for BPU. “Giving back to Wyandotte County and working to protect the environment is a key part of our employee culture and utility operations, and we remain committed to making our community a better place to live, just as we have for over 100 years.”

The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. We represent public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 96,000 people they employ. Our association advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Our members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power.

BPU Receives National Award for Community ServiceBPU Chief Communications Officer David Mehlhaff and BPU Board Secretary Tom Groneman accepting the award from APPA officials.

About BPU

BPU’s water department was originally created in 1909, and its electric utility was operational in 1912. The purpose of the utility, then and to this day, is to provide the highest quality electric and water services at the lowest possible cost. Today the publicly owned utility serves approximately 65,000 electric and 53,000 water customers, primarily in Wyandotte County, Kansas. The mission of the utility and its employees is “to focus on the needs of our customers, to improve the quality of life in our community while promoting safe, reliable and sustainable utilities.” BPU’s Web site is www.bpu.com.

 
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