Community Sponsorships

Sunny Skies Bring Record Crowd to 14th Annual Chili Cook-Off
More than 12,000 attendants and 2,000 gallons of chili served

Before every home game kids and adults collect free player autographs in the BWL-sponsored autograph area along the right field line. Special events during the baseball season include the BWL Hometown Power Night, when area softball teams send their best sluggers to compete in a home run derby.

Silver Bells in the City
Silver Bells in the City ushers in the holiday season in mid-Michigan each November. The BWL is one of two major corporate sponsors of the event, held the Friday before Thanksgiving. More than 50,000 people throng to Lansing's downtown area to view a spectacular lighted parade and fireworks, enjoy carolers and free horse-and-buggy rides, and to witness the lighting of Michigan's official holiday tree.

Junior Achievement
For more than 35 years, Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan has partnered with business people and educators to inspire young people to become entrepreneurs and future business leaders. Through JA's classroom programs in Kindergarten through twelfth grade, students learn basic business and economic concepts from business volunteers who reaffirm everyday lessons and encourage the student to stay in school.

Last year, JA provided 6,600 students with hands-on, activity-oriented programs designed to promote a fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system - tools that tomorrow's employees will need to lead successful and fulfilling lives.

The Board of Water & Light supports Junior Achievement in the following ways:

• Maintains a seat on the local governing Board of Junior Achievement
• Supplies 8 - 10 classroom volunteers annually
• Actively participates on fund raising committees
• Financially sponsors classroom programs

Lineman's Rodeo
The Board of Water and Light is the "host" utility for the Michigan Lineman's Rodeo, an annual event where lineworkers apply their skills in friendly competition. From climbing poles to performing the simulated rescue of an injured worker, the rodeo offers an exciting round of events to test the lineworker's abilities.

Speed is important, as the teams strive to carry out each event in the fastest possible time. But safety and accuracy are even more critical, because the eagle-eyed judges are quick to note and penalize the participant, if they fail to perform the event correctly.

In 2004, the Michigan Lineman's Rodeo drew more than 50 participants representing a number of Michigan's utilities and line construction companies. Many of these lineworkers view this regional event as preliminary to competing in the International Lineman's Rodeo and Expo held in Kansas City, MO in the fall.

CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT INFO ON INTERNATIONAL LINEMAN'S RODEO & EXPO

Water Tapping Team
BWL Women's and Men's Water Tapping Teams Take 1st and 2nd in National Competition

Two Lansing Board of Water and Light teams competed in the 2002 American Water Works Association's (AWWA) National Conference in New Orleans, June 12-16, after each took first place in their division in State trials.

After taking third in the preliminary round at the nationals, the BWL Women's Team trimmed eight seconds off their time in the second run to win top honors with a time of two minutes, 20 seconds. The BWL Men's Team ranked first in the preliminary round at the Nationals with a time of one minute, 24 seconds. They were edged out by just six seconds in the second round to finish in second place.

This is the second year BWL women competed in the tapping contest and the second year sent to represent Michigan in the national event.

It was the 11th year straight the BWL's men's tapping team captured the state first place title, earning the right to represent the utility and Michigan in national competition.
  

BWL Community Events Committee
The Board of Water and Light Employee Community Events Committee was formed in 1989. The committee was organized to give BWL employees an opportunity to become involved in various Lansing community activities as a group.

Over the years, the committee has recruited employees to participate in charitable and community events such as Make a Difference Day, the Junior Achievement Bowl a Thon, Boys and Girls Club activities, Christmas in April and local parades.

The Community Events Committee also holds monthly lunchtime Hot Dog Cook Outs at the BWL in the summer months to raise money for local charities. Proceeds from last year's cookouts amounted to $2000.00. Money raised went to charities such as Cystic Fibrosis, Breast Cancer Awareness and the CACS Walk for Warmth.

Planet Walk
Walk a scale model of our solar system along the Lansing River Trail
Installed in 1993, in cooperation with the Lansing Board of Water and Light, Impression 5 Science Center, and the City of Lansing, the Planet Walk is a scale model of the solar system that stretches almost two miles along Lansing's River Trail.

In fall of 2002, the Board of Water and Light and local marketing firm, Pace and Partners, funded a new updated Planet Walk exhibit. The enhanced new exhibit features colorful plaques displaying each planet to scale, along with planet facts, a map of the entire exhibit, and photographs from the Hubble telescope.

Over the years, the exhibit has seen its share of visitors, many of whom were already experienced space travelers. The original exhibit was dedicated on October 19, 1993, by Jack Lousma, Michigan native and Apollo and Skylab astronaut, who led the first group of students and local space buffs for a stroll from Sun to Pluto with interpretive comments and stories along the way. Other NASA notables have also led the Planet Walk event, including Dr. Jerry Linenger, a space shuttle astronaut, who trained and worked with Russian cosmonauts aboard space station Mir.