|
On the 12th Day of NEPPA..
By Mike Hyland
Executive Director, NEPPA
Hello NEPPer’s and NEPPette’s!
Like many, I thoroughly enjoy some good Christmas music this time of year, as we head towards the year's end. However, never before Thanksgiving… as in NEVER. But after Thanksgiving, count me in for turning the radio dial and streaming services to holiday channels ranging from new age country Christmas music to old time tunes from Bing Crosby, Brenda Lee and Perry Como. Heck, I’ll even listen to Michael Bublé, Pentatonix and Ed Sheeran, as long as it’s a holiday song.
So, I’m bopping my way along route I-95 South through Connecticut, listening to the iconic Nat King Cole singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and my Christmas concert ended abruptly when I was told to stop singing by those in the car. Dang. Harsh…right? Now mind you, this is not the first time someone told me that singing was not my strong suit. In fact, I have countless examples at home, work and church where a tap on the back or elbow was followed by "that’s enough singing Michael" (If you want proof, simply google "Walking in a Community Powered Town". Yes – that’s me in the Squirrel suit.) But – it didn’t stop me from thinking that maybe the NEPPA staff could remake that wonderful song about Public Power. Can’t you just see Elizabeth and Wendy handling those solo parts? Well, maybe not.
Besides brooding about my lack of vocal acceptance, I thought about the classic song 12 days of Christmas. My mom was a big fan of this song, as were most of the hard-core Irish Catholics. The songs starts on Christmas day and ends on the Epiphany (or "Three Kings Day"). We were schooled on the idea that Christmas trees went up on Christmas Eve, and they came down on January 6th. It was clockwork, and she didn’t break from that while most of our neighbors and friends put up their trees on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But Christmas music – that was not just allowed – it was encouraged.
So, I present to you the 12 Days of NEPPA from 2024. Sing along if you’d like - but I remind you – I am NOT allowed.
On the 12th Day of NEPPA, the Membership gave to me... ...Twelve Tactical Tuesdays
(From tree planting through AI, these free one hour Zoom calls are an easy way to learn.)
... Eleven Part-time Safety Trainers
(Thank you Bill, Linda, Steve, Dan, Kenny, Mikey, Anthony, Pete, Tim, Owie and Craig!)
...Ten Mutual Aid Events
(We had 20 Activations of the NEPPA VEOCI system, working to restore power in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.)
...Nine Apprentice Graduates
(And that’s just from our New York line school in Fairport. Add that to the 39 graduates from the Littleton School – wow!)
...Eight Executive Committee Members
(A subset of our 21-person Board – hardworking and always ready to step in to help.)
...Seven Individual States
(NEPPA covers parts of: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, and VT)
...Six Scholarships
(That’s the goal set for 2025, growing from 4 in 2024 and 2 in 2023.)
Five Golden Full-time Employees
(The ladies of NEPPA that keep us running - Wendy, Elizabeth, Colleen, Jackie and Sarah = Best)
...Four Large Member Gatherings
(The RodE&O, Annual Conference, Energy Connect Conference and the Membership Meeting add up to over 730 attendees!)
...Three Squad Members
(NEPPA is fortunate to have Hannah, Jocelyn and Bailey working for us. Smart, Hardworking and team oriented – the power industry is fortunate to have them.)
...Two Golf Outings
(We golf for good! Proceeds go to the Benevolent Fund – helping the NEPPA community in times of need.)
...And One Safety Focus!
(It’s the number one job for all of us. Train Safe, Work Safe, Travel Safe, Be Safe)
From me to you – have a great holiday season and I look forward to a safe and productive 2025.
-Mike…and the elves in Littleton
| 
