Each September at American Water, we honor our commitment to give back to the communities we serve through our AmerICANs in Action! Month of Service. Last year, through some of the toughest of times for our country, our dedicated employees took it upon themselves to do good on their own, in their local communities. While we were proud of the impact, they made on behalf of themselves and the company, we were hopeful that this year we could return to being a little more “hands-on” when helping our local communities.
American Water employees stepped up to the challenge of making an impact in smaller groups, while staying safe and, yet again, on their own, and we couldn’t be prouder. Here are just a few of the ways that employees gave back in our hometown—Camden, NJ.
Sprucing up schools.
On September 2, several American Water employees spent the day painting and cleaning up at Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden. The day, which marked the first day of the new school year for the local students, was spent making their Family Engagement Office a nicer place for administrators, staff and students alike.
A day of remembrance. 
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, American Water set out to display 2,977 American flags on the Camden Waterfront’s RCA Pier Park, in front of our corporate headquarters. Early in the morning, employees and their families met to install the flags ahead of a small ceremony, which was also coordinated by American Water volunteers. The result was a stunning flag memorial—visible from across the Delaware River—that remained for seven days as tribute to those who died. After that week, the flags were donated to the Camden County Veterans Affairs.
Cleaning up the community.
Mayor Victor Carstarphen leads the community clean-up campaign series for different neighborhoods throughout Camden, and during two of these sessions in September—one at the Isabel Miller Community Center on September 15 and another at Alberta Woods Park on September 29—American Water employees participated in the clean-up and provided water for all participants. This was a great event for AmeriCANs in Action! Monthand American Water will continue to be a proud participant in these city events in the coming months.
Planting for a greener community.
On September 23, a team of seven American Water employees traveled to Gateway Park to help make Camden greener. Over the course of three hours, they succ
essfully dug holes and planted five new trees—trees that will grow to help continue an effort to buffer the space between major roadway Admiral Wilson Boulevard (also known as Route 30) and Cooper River.
Cooking for the community.
On September 27, 13 American Water volunteers gathered at headquarters to support Cathedral Kitchen and provide food service for the Camden City community. Those who attended put together 206 sandwiches—some meat and cheese, others PB&J—to help feed community members.
Donating for school uniforms.
On September 10, American Water hosted a school uniform donation drive for students in elementary and middle school in Camden. Through the event, the team was able to deliver more than 150 articles of clothing to Camden City School District’s School Based Youth Services at one of their back-to-school bashes.
Kayaking for a cause.
With the Center for Aquatic Science—an organization of which American Water is a proud partner—employees were invited to join a kayaking trip over the Delaware River Back Channel to Petty’s
Island, where volunteers would explore the trail, and collect trash from the wooded habitat and on the water edge of the back channel. On September 30, six employees paddled out to the island and helped collect around 70 pounds of trash from the island habitat, including plastic bottles, baseballs, bookbags, candy/chip wrappers, glass bottles and Styrofoam.
For more information about what American Water is doing in communities across the country, check out our 2020 Community Impact Report.
