Pictured from left to right: Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner; INL Community Relations & Philanthropic Program Manager Misty Benjamin; Shantay Bloxham, CEO of United Way of Southeastern Idaho; Chris Wiersema, president & CEO of United Way of Idaho Falls & Bonneville County; Nick Smith, INL Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment director and United Way of Idaho Falls & Bonneville County board member; and Kate Meehan, INL communication liaison for community outreach.
Pictured from left to right: Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner; INL Community Relations & Philanthropic Program Manager Misty Benjamin; Shantay Bloxham, CEO of United Way of Southeastern Idaho; Chris Wiersema, president & CEO of United Way of Idaho Falls & Bonneville County; Nick Smith, INL Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment director and United Way of Idaho Falls & Bonneville County board member; and Kate Meehan, INL communication liaison for community outreach.
Battelle Energy Alliance, operator of Idaho National Laboratory, along with its employees announced a pledge of contributions more than $685,000 to United Way and its partner agencies in 2023.
United Way is an international network of more than 1,800 nonprofit organizations and fundraising affiliates. Its focus is on uniting communities around complex problems through three focus areas: health, education and financial security.
According to a Battelle news release, and data from United Way, the alliance’s pledge is the largest United Way workplace campaign in the state.
“This campaign is possible due to the efforts of dedicated employees who are passionate about making our communities better places for everyone to live and work,” INL Director John Wagner said in the release.
With INL being the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development, performing extensive research in energy, national security, science and the environment, the government agency employees a large number of Idahoans. With a majority of those employees living in eastern Idaho, laboratory officials have made increased efforts in recent years to involve themselves in the lives of community members and the beautification of the area.
Ron Crone, associate laboratory director for INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex and board chairman of United Way of Idaho Falls & Bonneville County, acknowledged the increasing number of Idahoans in need, hoping that the donation would help to put many local families back on their feet.
“We know that around 43% of households in eastern Idaho are struggling to make ends meet,” Crone said in the release. “This includes those living below the poverty line as well as those we refer to as ALICE — asset limited, income constrained, employed. When we all come together to give back, we can make a real difference in our community and help people find housing, feed their families and work toward a brighter future.”
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