ComEd’s Energy Force Ambassadors Program Expands
Entering its’ second year, ComEd’s Energy Force Program (EFP), which trains individuals with developmental disabilities on how to educate ComEd customers on how to conserve energy, is expanding.
In Illinois, tens of thousands of individuals with developmental disabilities live with families or in assisted living communities where they are responsible for their home’s energy usage.
This is why ComEd is growing the one-of-a-kind EFP program that was launched last year and is the first and only program organized by a U.S. utility company designed specifically to help empower individuals with developmental disabilities reduce their electricity use, save money—and educate others to do the same.
“ComEd is committed to doing all we can to support and partner with the communities we serve,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO, ComEd. “Our Energy Force ambassadors are yet another way that we can help our communities and customers use less energy, improve our shared environment and lower their monthly bills. The ambassadors are passionate, confident and connect with our customers because they care deeply about conservation and protecting our environment. It’s inspiring to watch the Energy Force in action.”
ComEd has increased its partnerships to support the Energy Force to 10 nonprofit organizations. The participating nonprofits, located throughout Northern Illinois, work with individuals with developmental disabilities include:
• Access Living (Chicago)
• Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago El Valor (Chicago)
• GiGi’s Playhouse (Aurora)
• Lambs Farm (Libertyville)
• Misericordia (Chicago) Neumann Family Services (Chicago)
• Orchard Village (Skokie)
• Ray Graham Association (Lisle)
• Special Olympics Chicago
Access Living, Orchard Village and the Ray Graham Association are new Energy Force participating organizations this year.
Each organization nominates an individual to serve as part of the ComEd Energy Force. ComEd
trains the nominees and staff, providing them with the tools, resources and to create fun,
interactive presentations that offer easy and simple energy-efficiency tips to their individual
peers and larger audiences.
This year, the program will increase its reach and expand into more opportunities to educate
audiences even beyond individuals with developmental disabilities. Each Energy Force team
member is expected to conduct approximately ten outreach events in the next twelve months.
ComEd provides a stipend to cover time, costs and materials.
“In the initial year, our ambassadors in many cases were sticking to audiences and groups of their peers and other individuals with developmental disabilities,” ComEd spokeswoman Martha Arendt told the Chicago Citizen Newspaper. “This year, we’re expanding their reach this year to increase the number of events where our ambassadors will be, in more cases, speaking at events and speaking to individuals in mainstream, individuals that don’t share their backgrounds but none the less benefit from the energy efficiency tools that they can share. What we’ve seen in the first year of the program is that the ambassadors are really engaged and really excited about the program. One of the ways that can help build their confidence is it provides them with tools that they can share with others and it’s really designed to help and serve others. They really get a sense of ownership and that sense of service.”
Maurice Snell, was the 2007 National Adult Representative for Easter Seals and has worked for Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago, 1939 W. 13th St., for seven years. Snell is a returning ambassador for the EFP program.
“Being an ambassador gives me the opportunity to meet different people from different cultures and different societies,” said Snell. “I get a chance to work with people outside of my organization and share my experiences with others.”
Snell, who is from Chicago’s Washington Heights area, graduated from Easter Seals' Autism Therapeutic School Chicago and from St. Xavier University with honors.
Access Living, 115 W. Chicago, is a cross disability organization that accepts all people with disabilities whether it’s physical, cognitive or developmental. Access Living also provides advocacy and has directly serviced 1,499 individuals so far this year according to Carleda Johnson, the organization’s Financial Stability Coordinator.
“I think it’ll be good in terms of people with disabilities can be out in the community, can give information, I think it’ll help combat a lot of stereotypes that people have for people with disabilities,” said Johnson.
Garland Armstrong participates in the Access Living program and was also chosen to be an EFP ambassador.
“He’s very enthusiastic, very helpful, [and] he presents information really well. He just has the personality that really engages people,” Johnson said. “This is his first year so we sat down together to review the information to make sure that he’s comfortable. He’s really excited.”
Organizations interested in applying to participate in ComEd’s Energy Force program can contact Paula Conrad for more information at Paula.Conrad@ComEd.com.
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