SWL&P Employees Pitch In For Harbor House

Volunteers Took Part in United Way Day of Caring

SUPERIOR, Wis. – About 20 volunteers from Superior Water, Light and Power worked in the sunshine Wednesday to make the Harbor House Crisis Shelter a little homier.

“The whole idea is to make it hospitable, more like a home,” said Rev. Barbara Certa-Werner, Executive Director of Harbor House, which is Douglas Co.’s only crisis shelter for homeless single women and families.  “One of the ways we can do that is making sure the property looks great, and makes them feel welcome.”

SWL&P took on the project as part of the Head of the Lakes United Way’s Day of Caring.

After choosing Harbor House to partner with for the Day of Caring, SWL&P employees came out, toured the grounds, and found a lot of projects that needed to be done.

“We’re painting the front porch, we are also working on the sidewalk, doing some repair on that,” said Rob Sandstrom, Customer Excellence Manager with SWL&P.  “And we are mending the fence around the garden, this beautiful garden back here.”

Rev. Certa-Werner couldn’t believe what these volunteers did in a short time.

“I’m amazed,” said Certa-Werner.  “When I pulled up and saw all of these fantastic workers doing skilled stuff we need to get done but haven’t had the volunteers to do it, it’s amazing.  I feel really great and I know the folks that use our facility will really appreciate the sprucing up they’re doing.”

For SWL&P, giving back is part of what the company does.

“We like to be strong advocates for the community and help out anybody that’s in need,” said Sandstrom.

And for SWL&P employees, giving back is a rewarding experience.

“I get a huge smile on my face every time I come out and see what a powerful group of employees we have can come together and do something so wonderful,” said Kelley Bayuk, Accounting Analyst with SWL&P.

These volunteers also knew their efforts were appreciated.