In honor of his outstanding volunteer work in 2022, Ryan Whitman, manager of our Smart Energy Network project, was one of three Atlantic City Electric employees who recently received Exelon’s Powering Communities Employee Volunteer Award.
This recognition is the company’s highest achievement for volunteerism and community involvement, and honored Ryan’s contributions to Operation Safe Haven, a nonprofit that provides resources and services to veterans and first responders in Southern New Jersey. Thanks to Ryan’s efforts, Operation Safe Haven received a $5,000 grant from Exelon to support its programing which includes housing, therapy, mental health services, and coaching.
As a combat veteran, Ryan understands the complexities that veterans face every day. He notes, “I understand what veterans struggle with when they come home from war, and how difficult it can be to restart your life when you feel like you don’t necessarily fit in.”
Ryan, who is the former president for our Exelon Militaries Actively Connected (EMAC) employee resource group, identified Operation Safe Haven while he was seeking out local nonprofits that support veterans—and he quickly became committed to serving the nonprofit through funding and volunteer events.
Ryan regularly brings together our employees and EMAC volunteers to work on important projects for Operation Save Haven, including electrical projects and building a laundry room for veterans. In total, Ryan spent more than 100 hours volunteering for the organization over the past year.
When asked about Ryan’s impact on Operation Safe Haven, founder Donnie Davis said, “Ryan has such passion for helping other veterans and law enforcement officers. It’s neat to have a leader who really cares and can bring together a group of volunteers.”
In 2022, Atlantic City Electric employees volunteered more than 10,000 hours – which is more than 1,250 workdays – to support 125 different events throughout South Jersey. This volunteerism is on top of approximately $1.2 million Atlantic City Electric contributed to local nonprofits.