Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA Employees, Congressional Staffers Assemble, Ship Care Packages To U.S. Military Units in Afghanistan
January 19, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Valley Authority employees and congressional staffers recently assembled 250 “care packages” to ship to U.S. military units in Afghanistan.
An estimated 4,000 personal care items, magazines and puzzle books were donated by employees at TVA facilities throughout the Tennessee Valley, then collected and sent to the agency’s Nashville office to be dispensed in Afghanistan.
“Soldiers are often in short supply of some basic items,” said Mark Littlejohn, outgoing president of the TVA Veteran’s Association, one of TVA’s Employee Resource Groups. “So this is our way of helping our sons, daughters, friends and neighbors who have put their name on the dotted line to serve their country.”
The care packages are going to several units at Kandahar Air Field, about 10 miles southeast of Kandahar City, Afghanistan.
Amy Arnold-Martin, a district manager with TVA Valley Relations, and Vyrone Cravanas, a senior manager with TVA’s Diversity and Labor Relations, helped coordinate the care package initiative companywide. Staffers from the offices of U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and U.S. Reps. Lincoln Davis and Marsha Blackburn were on hand in Nashville to help employees put the packages together.
“Items most requested by the soldiers are often simple things we take for granted, like magazines,” Cravanas said.
After hearing of TVA’s offer to collect items, U.S. Air Force Sgt. John Ellis said, “Thank you, TVA, so very much for caring enough for those of us serving over here to do something as wonderful as this.”
Items included powdered drink mixes, chewing gum, handkerchiefs, magazines, puzzle books, lip moisturizers, hand cream and hair trimmers.
Currently, 2,206 TVA employees are military veterans. Also, 15 employees are currently serving either in support roles in the United States or abroad in a military-reserve or National Guard role in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 157 power distributors that serve approximately 9 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also creates economic development opportunities and manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.
Contact
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville (865) 632-6000