It’s a community affair with Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) Day of Action

DPW Superintendent Brent Jones, City Manager Michael Sessions, and Men’s Club member Stas Schebella take a quick photo break from their work on the Carr Park ball diamond on Friday. Photo courtesy Patty Clark, MEC.

by Marsha Chartrand

It’s a great thing when a group of unrelated (or loosely related) entities gathers together for a volunteer effort. Many companies in recent years have turned to a “day of action” where employees are granted time off work to perform acts of volunteerism; whether those of their own choosing or something pre-selected by the employer.

Patty Clark, community relations specialist for Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) located in Tecumseh, explained that each year, MEC partners with an organization to conduct a community service action day. This year, MEC brought together employees from MEC’s Tecumseh Solutions Center, the City of Manchester, and members of the Manchester Men’s Club to refurbish a softball field and surrounding areas at Carr Park in Manchester.

“On September 13, volunteers installed new infield aggregate, replaced bleacher boards, anchor bases, and base bags, installed new backstop boards, repaired damaged fencing, refurbished the dugout areas with new pea gravel, and did miscellaneous maintenance,” she said, adding, “We like to do projects where you can see a significant difference from the beginning to the end of the day.” In addition to the strong presence of MEC employees and specialized machinery to assist with the more intensive activities, MEC provided funding to help with project costs.

Carr Park offers a serene location for a range of recreational pursuits and community events. The park spans 20.8 acres featuring four pavilions with picnic tables, two restrooms, a softball diamond, two sand volleyball courts, playground equipment, and grills for picnics. The ball diamond is home to the Summer Recreation Programs including Pee Wee, T-Ball, Little League, and softball teams. It is the site of the Fourth of July community picnic, fireworks display, and more events each year.

Founded in 1982, the Manchester Men’s Club is a local nonprofit that organizes community events and service projects, and raises money for various community causes. They sponsor the annual Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of July Fireworks, Oktoberfest Car Show, and several fundraising initiatives and volunteering efforts to support unmet needs in the community. Helping out on behalf of the Men’s Club at Friday’s event were “seasoned” members Carl Werner and Stas Schebella.

MEC started in the 1930s as a utilities cooperative. Rural electricity wasn’t widely available as farms and homes were too far apart to make it a profitable option for big companies. So MEC has long provided electric distribution; it came to add the provision of propane to our service territory and is currently bringing high-speed internet to qualified census blocks in southeastern Michigan. To learn about more service eligibility, go to www.TeamMidwest.com/internet.

“I’m very proud of our City staff’s service they provide,” said Sessions. Clark added, “We are here; we’re local and these are things we can do to help the community. Our employees care about the service they provide.”

Working on rebuilding the bleachers. Stop by and take a look at the great job that was done in just one day! Photo by Patty Clark.

The girls got into the act, too. Stop by and see all the work that was done in just one day! Photo by Patty Clark.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.