On Thursday, May 5, 100 employees from Dominion Energy gathered in Chester, Virginia to build 22 wheelchairs for disabled veterans and low-income residents in the community. They had a great time, contributed to two great causes, and enhanced their relationships with coworkers through collaboration.
In this video from WTRV-CBS6, photojournalist Chris Jenkins hears from Dina Takhchi, Chair, Dominion Energy Diversity Council about the activity and the plans to donate 11 of the wheelchairs to Chapter 50 of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), with the remaining 11 going to the Powhatan County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Ben Nice expresses his gratitude and explains that his department will use the wheelchairs to aid low-income residents in the county.
Best Corporate Events facilitator Eric Nodler keeps the action of the Build-a-Wheelchair® program moving, handing out tools and parts to the teams as they earn them through answering trivia questions and other activities, and setting up a wheelchair race among participants to test their finished assemblies.
The WWBT-NBC12 news team also covered the event. Reporter Ashley Hendricks spoke with Ralph Baskerville, Commander of DAV Chapter 50, who explained the need for the wheelchairs and expressed gratitude to Dominion Energy and its employees for this donation.
As Dina Takhchi noted, many Dominion employees are veterans or have family serving in the military. They took pride in giving back to those who have given so much for our country, while improving their teamwork skills and having some fun on a beautiful spring day.