The employees of the Alabama Site recently came together to support a good cause for the community. On January 02, 2004 two Athens City Police Officers were killed in the line of duty. The two offices were ambushed while responding to a routine call. Sgt. Larry Russell was a 19-year veteran of the force, and left behind his wife Michelle and five children. Officer Tony Mims was a 15-year veteran and is survived by his wife Linda and four children. These men gave their lives protecting the citizens of Athens.
The employees of the Alabama Site decided to do something to support these families. “This tragedy was felt deeply in the community,” states Suzanne Morgan of the Human Resource Department. “It seemed that everyone was left with feelings of loss and despair regardless if they knew these men or not. Many experienced feelings of anger as well as loss. We decided to hold a gate collection to benefit the families of these men. This helped raise money for the families and helped our employees with their grief.”

“Our folks are always quick to help out others, and this was no exception,” adds Local 2195 President Terry Scruggs. “The people really supported this effort.”

A group of volunteers stood at the entrance of the plants at shift change and collected donations as people entered and exited the plants. A total of $5355.20 was collected across the shifts. When you take into consideration that over 400 people were on layoff the week the collection was made, the amount is more impressive.

The money was added to a trust fund that has been set up for the families at a local bank. “We can lose sight of the fact that we are part of the community,” adds Human Resource Director Steve Sloan. “There were many groups in the community that raised money for these families and we are glad to be able to participate. This tragedy left nine children without a father, friend and breadwinner. This collection was very appropriate to offer assistance to these families. It also helped our employees gain closure with the tragedy.”