Community Initiatives
PPC continues to support community activities, in particular those events which benefit the youth, who are the future of our community. Below is an overview of some of the recent events/initiatives that the company has proudly sponsored.
2010
PPC Sponsors TCSPCA’s Dog Show
In June TCI’s four-legged friends were on display at the TCSPCA’s Annual Dog Show. PPC was the lead sponsor of the event for the second year. Our very own CEO, Eddinton Powell was the guest of honour, and Kevin Smith, our V. P. of Business Systems and Chief Information Officer (CIO), held on as one of the judges of the event. There were a number of categories to be won including: Best Trick, Cutest Tail and Best Time & Performance at Obstacle Course and Most ‘Original’ Potcake. You have a year to get your pooch trained for next year’s Dog Show! Proceeds go towards the TCSPCA, which has a goal to ensure that every animal in the TCI is owned and cared for and is free from abuse.
Bight Park Cleanup
We continue to do our part in keeping TCI "Beautiful by Nature"! On Saturday June 26th some of our staff took part in a clean-up of the Bight Children’s Park. As part of our sponsorship of the Bight Park we conduct periodic clean-up activities at the park. The park is a great location for friends and families to come together and enjoy, and has been the spot for a few of our sports and fun days.
PPC Provo Cricket League has an Exciting Finish
This season’s PPC Provo Cricket League was an exciting one! When the dust cleared the Guyana Jaguars were victorious as winners of the league. Awards were given to top players throughout the tournament during a short award presentation. A plaque was awarded to PPC for our commitment and support to the league and to the sport of cricket.
PPC’s Helping Hands: TCI’s Youth Ambassador
Our very own Trevon Farrington has been selected as Deputy Regional Youth Caucus and locally as the National Youth Ambassador for 2010-2011. He participated in the Youth Ambassador Screenings where competitors had to present a speech on how they felt their role as ambassador would benefit the TCI.
Trevon has the responsibility to help enhance the contribution of young people to the development of the TCI.
PPC’s Helping Hands: Basketball Coach
Mervin Forbes, our Supervisor of Sites and Services Facilities is an avid basketball fan and player. He volunteers at the Edward C Gartland Youth Centre where he trains and coaches young persons in the game. He hopes to organise a youth basketball league that will help kids be active and be motivated through accomplishments.
PPC’s Helping Hands: Volunteer Fire-Fighter
Thumbelina Carter, our Contract Debt Collector Specialist, is one of Providenciales’ volunteer fire-fighters! The group meets every Wednesday to train and practise safety and rescue exercises. Thumbelina has learnt that volunteer fire-fighters act as public servants with important duties that include saving lives, prevention of destruction to property and to render humanitarian service. The volunteer fire-fighters stay connected with beepers and can be on call in a moment’s notice.
Thumbelina has also completed training in Road Traffic Collision rescue (RTC) and can assist during major traffic collisions.
PPC’s Helping Hands
Ernie Jackson, V.P. of Generation and Engineering, assists his church’s weekly soup kitchen delivery of soup to elderly persons in the community.
Judy Missick, our Director of Human Resources is a Sitting Director on the Salvation Army Advisory Board.
PPC Shines on Earth Day
On April 22nd we celebrated Earth Day and as part of activities some of our staff members participated in the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association’s TCI Shines environmental clean-up campaign. Various hotel members also participated in the clean-up and were successful in clearing hundreds of bags of debris along the Leeward Highway, Lower Bight and Grace Bay roads. The TCI Shines campaign aims to raise awareness of our natural environment and encourages everyone to keep our surroundings clean. We must continue to keep TCI Beautiful by Nature!
PPC Provo Cricket League is on Again!
The much anticipated PPC Provo Cricket League is off to an exciting start! We are once again the title sponsor so don’t miss out on the tournament at the Downtown Ball Park as local leading cricket teams battle it out to defeat the Beaches Resort Cricket Team; winners of last year’s tournament.
PPC Sponsors TCI Reading Rush Competition
In March the Ministry of Education held their Reading Rush campaign geared towards encouraging reading among primary and high school students in the TCI. PPC was the main sponsor of the Reading Rush Poster Competition and were on hand to judge the entries and also attended the award ceremony. Students in various age groups were awarded for their creativity in depicting the theme "2010, Year for Reading: TCI, Join the Rush". We encourage you to all keep the reading rush going by reading with your kids, and encouraging others to share in the joy of reading.
PPC’s Annual Spring Community Walkathon
We held our second annual Spring Community Walkathon in April! The Walkathon was a great opportunity to spend time with co-workers and family while exercising and keeping healthy. The Fun Walk benefited not only those who participated but benefited the Provo Children’s Home (PCH). For every staff member who participated $25 was donated to the Children’s Home. A total of $1000 was donated to the Children’s Home. The Provo Children’s Home welcomes volunteers! Volunteer with the PCH, share your time and make a difference in a young child’s life.
Customers Sound Off on E-Billing
It’s been a few months since the first e-bills were emailed to customers who’ve signed up for the service, and the response has been very positive! We’ve added to our customers’ convenience as they can now view their power bills through their email service. Not only is this service convenient but we’ve noted that more customers are on time with payments as a result. Encourage customers to visit our website or customer service centre to sign up for online billing.
2009
PPC 2010 Calendar
Be sure to pick up your copy of our 2010 Calendar, which features the flora and fauna of our beautiful islands!
PPC Officially Launches E-Billing
We took note of our customers’ comments and in December we officially launched our E-Billing service! The E-Billing service, which replaces home delivery, aims to be a more efficient and environmentally friendlier way for customers to receive their monthly bills via email. For those who are not on email, there are two alternative options: customers can either collect their bills directly from PPC’s Bill Collection Centre or have the bill sent to a post box address.
Customer & Staff Appreciation
We held our annual Customer Appreciation Day on December 4th 2009 and treated our customers to eats, drinks and keepsakes at our Customer Service Centre at the Town Centre Mall Downtown. The annual day is a show of appreciation to our customers for their support and understanding throughout the year. Also in December, our Christmas Party was held at the Seven Stars Resort. It was a very exciting evening filled with competition, camaraderie and celebration.
Provo Power Company (PPC) Cricket Tournament
Congratulations to the Beaches Resort Cricket Team on their win at the 2009 PPC Provo Cricket Tournament!
PPC Provo Cricket League
PPC is once again the title sponsors of the PPC Provo Cricket League! The Downtown Ball Park heats up again for the exciting cricket tournament where local teams battle to defeat last season’s champions the St. Lucian Hitters. Take in a match and make it a fun weekend family event!
Diamonds are Forever at the Le Reve Ball
PPC proudly sponsored this year’s Le Reve Ball with the theme "Diamonds are Forever". The event was held at the Messel Ballroom of The Regent Palms Resort on Saturday November 7th. Proceeds from the Le Reve Ball went toward the TCI Kidney Foundation which educates the public about kidney disease, provides free testing and assists kidney disease patients with receiving treatment from specialists.
Well Wishes to Our Scholarship Recipients!
We wish our scholarship recipients all the best in their 2009-2010 academic year!
Our recipients Alvejes Desir and Daylon Joseph continue their Engineering Degrees while Pamela Taylor continues her Accounting Degree.
We especially wish TeAndra Thomas all the best as she begins her 5 year Mechanical Engineering program at Memorial University in Newfoundland. We hope your year with us has been very informative as you begin a new and exciting learning experience!
PPC Launches Environmental Program
PPC has launched a full-scale environmental program, designed to improve environmental and safety standards at the plant, head office and amongst our employees. To do this we're making changes to four major areas of operations: the enhancement of optimal plume dispersion, reduction in noise pollution, preventative measures of water contamination, and staff education plan.
As part of the program, we're working towards achieving the ISO 14,001 standard by 2012, which is the international benchmark on environmental management. Our Environmental Officer Eustace Musgrove has tackled our existing safety and environmental processes head on and has advised on new environmental and safety procedures that we can implement.
What Our Customers Say
A customer survey was carried out in June and July to get a better idea of our customer’s level of satisfaction with our service and to find out whether their satisfaction has changed in the last year. The survey revealed that more customers were satisfied with our service in 2009 than in 2008! Other areas which our customers gave us high ratings were in our response to queries and our ability to resolve problems. Even though the satisfaction level is high among our customers there is still room for improvement in terms of the speed with which we deal with customers, the methods we use to communicate with customers and how knowledgeable we are about our services. Congratulations to all our staff on a good job. Our goal is to achieve 100% satisfaction in all areas!
TCSPCA Dog Show
The Turks and Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCSPCA) held its annual Dog Show in June 2009. PPC was the lead sponsor of the show and our own CEO; Eddinton Powell was one of the judges at the event. It was an exciting day and lots of families and dog lovers came out to watch and take part.
Precious Treasures visit PPC
In June 2009, Grade 5, students of Precious Treasures Primary School visited our plant to learn all about electricity generation. The students were very excited and curious about how things worked at the plant. We hope to continue educating our youngsters about electricity and energy conservation practices with future tours of our facilities.
The International Food Fair
The Turks and Caicos Hotel Tourism Training Institute held its third annual International Food Fair at the Turtle Cove Marina in June 2009. PPC was one of the proud sponsors of the event which featured numerous hotels, restaurants, schools and groups around the island sharing their delicious dishes while vying for the top prizes. At the event numerous persons were honoured for their contribution to the Turks and Caicos tourism development.
PPC Introduces its Mascot: The Electro Gecko
In May, a prize giving ceremony was held to award some really creative and innovative students who took part in our “Design a Mascot” Competition. At the ceremony Raul Vazque Chairez, of the British West Indies Collegiate, was awarded for his winning design, while Colin Sterling, also of the British West Indies Collegiate, was awarded for coming up with the catchy name, “Electro Gecko”. Dwayne Hamilton and Marcus Lightbourne, both of the Enid Capron Primary School, were awarded Third Place and Most Imaginative Design respectively. Tyson Romulus of Eliza Simons Primary School won the second place prize. The Electro Gecko will be incorporated with our branding and will be featured in much of our collateral material and community initiatives. Over time it is hoped that the Electro Gecko will become synonymous with youth development and energy conservation practices, two important initiatives for the company.
Students pose with PPC reps. Standing left to right: Edinton Powell, PPC CEO; Daphne Brooks-Penn, Manager Corporate Services & Corporate Secretary; Allan Robinson, VP Customer & Corporate Services. Bottom left to right: Dwayne Hamilton of Enid Capron Primary School; Raul Vazque Chairez, of the British West Indies Collegiate and Marcus Lightbourne of Enid Capron Primary School.)
PPC Commits to the Bight Park
In May 2009 we announced our commitment to maintain the Bight Park not only through a monetary donation, but by also encouraging our staff to take part in clean up days where we come together on select weekends to clean up the park whether it is picking up garbage or spot painting where necessary. We encourage everyone to take part in helping to keep the park clean, as it is a place where our kids and families can enjoy!
Cheque presentation at Bight Park. Left to right: Judith Campbell, PS of Ministry of Natural Resources, Allan Robinson, Daphne Brooks-Penn, Wesley Clerveaux of the DECR, Eddinton Powell of PPC.)
PPC Staff Annual Spring Walk
Our annual Spring Fun Walk was held in April, with some of our staff and their families coming out to join us on an invigorating walk along the Leeward Highway. The walk is held annually as an ongoing effort to promote healthy lifestyles and strengthen camaraderie among our employees. The early morning walk started at the IGA Supermarket parking lot and ended at the Sam’s building down town. For each staff member who crossed the finish line, $25.00 was donated to the Kidney Foundation. $1,025 was raised. First to the finish line was Frances Quan, our High Voltage Electrician and Malik Williams, son of Bernadette Williams. Participants took under an hour to complete the walk and we were treated to a delicious hot breakfast afterward.
Fortis Donates to the Youth
PPC’s parent company Fortis Inc. donated $2000 to the Edward C. Gartland Youth Centre in March 2009. The youth centre offers kids a place where they can express and be themselves, and is truly a place they can call their own. The Edward C. Gartland Youth Centre was selected because we recognise the positive impact that it has on our youth and we want to encourage more uplifting social and educational activities throughout the islands.
Creative Recycling on South Caicos
The aftermath of Hurricane Ike in September left many electricity poles in need of repair and replacement on the island of South Caicos. Rather than simply discarding these poles, the team at AEP Ltd. thought of a creative way to reuse the poles, and beautify the playground of the Iris Stubbs Primary School at the same time. The poles were cleaned and painted bright colours and were used to construct an enclosure around the swing which creates and designates an area for play. The area was cleared of any harmful materials and extra sand was put in to maintain the safety of the students. The end result is an attractive playground area that the kids can really enjoy!
PPC Provo Cricket League
PPC Provo Cricket League came to an exciting end after six months of electrifying cricket action at the Downtown Ball Park. We were the title sponsors of the PPC Provo Cricket League where the island’s leading cricket teams battled it out for the winning title. Everyone in attendance at the final match on Sunday March 29th witnessed an exciting encounter between the St. Lucian Hitters, and Guyana Jaguars. When the dust settled at the end of the match, the Hitters had made 253 runs for the loss of 7 wickets and had defeated the Jaguars for 196 runs. Our Daphne Brooks-Penn was on hand to award the St. Lucian Hitters with their winning trophy!
Customer Appreciation Day
PPC customers were treated to our annual Customer Appreciation Day on January 30th. This day is set aside for us to show our appreciation to our customers for their understanding and support during what was a trying 2008. Our appreciation to our customers is not relegated to just this one day, but we strive daily to provide world-class service by being attentive to our customers and understanding their needs and anticipation and delivering above expectation.
2008
Turks and Caicos Conch Festival
PPC is a Gold Sponsor of this year’s Conch Festival which will be held on November 29th in Blue Hills. Portions of the proceeds from this year’s event will go toward helping rebuild the conch fishing industry in historic South Caicos, which was badly damaged during the recent Hurricanes Hanna and Ike. Visit the Festival’s website for more information www.conchfestival.com
Turks and Caicos Music & Cultural Festival
The 2008 Music & Cultural Festival which took place July 28th to August 4th was a great success, and PPC Ltd. was a part of it all as an associate sponsor of this event. For more information of the lineup or to view photos and videos of the music festival, visit the festival’s website www.musicfestival.tc
2008 High School Graduation
Top students of the Class of 2008, as well as those who displayed leadership qualities from Clement Howell High School; Raymond Gardiner High School and Marjorie Basden High School received donations from PPC Ltd. at graduation.
Top of The Class!
A laptop was awarded to the top student graduate in Electrical Engineering at the Community College.
Donation To SNAP
Fortis & PPC donated $2,000 to the Special Needs Association of Providenciales (SNAP), a non-profit organization catering to kids with mental and physical challenges. The company opted to make this kind of donation to a charity in lieu of traditional Christmas cards. We selected SNAP because of the important work that the organization is doing to motivate and improve the lives of the kids.
PPC Reps present a cheque to the Special Needs Association of Providenciales
World Rotoract Week
PPC Ltd. was a proud sponsor of World Rotoract Week Community Sports Day for kids.
A Caribbean Robinson Crusoe
PPC Ltd. was a sponsor of the Quest for a Caribbean Robinson Crusoe organized by the Turks & Caicos Maritime Heritage Federation.
Education Week in South Caicos
Alvejes Desir was on hand to share information on the displays with students of Majorie Basden High School during the Education Week Exhibition.
PPC’s Alvejes Desir informs students of the Majorie Basden High School
Sharing the Christmas Spirit
PPC's first community project was a truly memorable one for all involved. The management and staff got together to help renovate the house of Mrs. Williams, an elderly customer of the Blue Hills area. The home make over included major repairs to the roof of her house, upgraded electrical wiring, ceiling replacement, complete renovation of several rooms, installation of new lights fixtures and the grading of the front yard. In addition to the renovation to Mrs and Mr. Williams' property, the staff at PPC blessed the couple by sharing the Christmas Spirit through gifts of food, linens, a Christmas tree and decorations. The picture below shows the renovated home which PPC's staff worked tirelessly on.