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Employees from around the company made a difference in their communities as they participated in the United Day of Caring on June 20 in Duluth and Superior and the United Way Day of Action on June 21 in Grand Rapids. Here is a brief roundup of their activities.

Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds

Fifteen employees from Superior Water, Light and Power and Minnesota Power spent the day cleaning, painting and doing repairs at the fairgrounds in Superior. They cleaned and painted a log building that will be used for a petting zoo, laid a mulch trail, dug out a small pond, did some landscaping, planted a flower box and put a drainage ditch around the chicken barn.

Neighborhood Youth Services

Six employees spent the day at Neighborhood Youth Services in Duluth where they weeded garden beds, watered flowers, raked mulch in the playground and picked up trash around the building.

After they finished gardening, the volunteers were able to spend time playing basketball, foosball, Uno and other games with the kids.

Hartley Park bridge and boardwalk project

Eight employees built boardwalks, broke trail and cleared existing trail at Hartley Park in Duluth.

Western Waterfront Trail in Duluth

Six volunteers joined teams from other companies to plant white cedar, white pine, cottonwood, silver maple and red oak trees near the zoo in West Duluth along the DWP trail. Volunteers also fenced and provided additional protection for the trees to prevent damage from deer and rabbits.

CHUM Rhubarb Festival

The substation engineering group helped CHUM prepare for the annual Rhubarb Festival in Duluth. They moved items such as tables, tends and boxes required for setting up for the popular festival.

Day of Action in Grand Rapids

Eight employee volunteers took part in the sixth annual Day of Action. The volunteer day at the Grand Rapids Farmers’ Market included a variety of projects, including painting, landscaping, creating public art, assembling care packs and distributing information about food assistance.