EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (June 11, 2024) – Xcel Energy announced today a $5,000 grant to Promise Kept Therapeutic Riding Center, a Baldwin-based nonprofit, as part of the Xcel Energy Foundation’s 2024 Employee Choice Grant awards.
Promise Kept therapeutic Riding Center received the most votes from Xcel Energy employees in Wisconsin and Michigan. Each year, employees nominate nonprofits for the award. A panel of employees select finalists that align with the company’s values and Foundation’s focus areas, and employees statewide then vote for a single finalist.
“We live and work in our communities, and the giving spirit of our employees continues to grow stronger every year,” said Karl Hoesly, president, Xcel Energy—Wisconsin and Michigan. “Community service is embedded in Xcel Energy employees’ DNA, whether powering our customers’ lives with clean, reliable energy or pitching in to help our neighbors.”
Promise Kept Therapeutic Riding Center provides children and adults with equine-assisted activities and therapy to support mental and physical healing and behavioral improvements.
“A grant from Xcel Energy will help benefit Promise Kept Therapy in many ways,” said Cheri Morton, director of Promise Kept Therapeutic Riding Center. “The funding will help provide newer and safer equipment for riders needing special accommodations. It will also help provide the necessary care, feed and supplements for our therapy horses, many of which are advancing in age and have greater needs. We are extremely grateful to Xcel Energy for its support of our equine-assisted therapy program.”
The Xcel Energy Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, invests in organizations within three focus areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Career Pathways, Environmental Sustainability and Community Vitality. In addition to the Employee Choice Grants, the Foundation’s Focus Area Grants awarded a total of $362,000 to 62 organizations in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Grants are just one way that Xcel Energy employees give back to the communities they work and live in. In 2023, employees performed 92,000 volunteer hours and gave $3.4 million to nonprofit organizations across eight states. Xcel Energy supports volunteerism by providing 40 hours of volunteer paid time off to full-time employees each year. The company’s Dollars for Doing program provides contributions to nonprofits where its employees regularly volunteer. Additionally, since 2010, Xcel Energy employees volunteer alongside one another during a Day of Service held in September.
Lean more about other ways Xcel Energy gives back to the communities it serves.
# # #
About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. With its Wisconsin and Michigan headquarters in Eau Claire, Wis., the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About Xcel Energy Foundation
The Xcel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that awards charitable grants to nonprofit organizations and sponsors the volunteer programs of Xcel Energy and its subsidiaries. The majority of Xcel Energy Foundation funding comes from Xcel Energy shareholder dollars. For more information, visit https://www.xcelenergy.com/community/focus_area_grants.
