For around 30 Spire employees, Aug. 18 wasn’t your typical 9-to-5 workday.
Instead of sitting at their desks, the employees spent some time in the great outdoors, making repairs around the Beaumont Scout Reservation, 6480 Beaumont Reservation Drive in High Ridge.
The effort was a part of the natural gas provider’s “Day for Good” program, in which employees volunteer at a nonprofit of their choice.
Molly Rose, a Spire spokesperson, said the work included planting a pollinator garden along a Spire pipeline, trail maintenance and gravel leveling, riprap installation, cabin painting and reorganizing the storage equipment warehouse.
The Beaumont Scout Reservation was established in 1949 and sits on 2,400 acres east of Eureka.
Chris Laycock, director of camping services for Greater St. Louis Area Scouting, said Beaumont sees about 70,000 visitors a year. Laycock said Spire has been a longtime supporter of Greater St. Louis Area Scouting.
“Being a nonprofit, we don’t survive without the community. So, when a large business partner like this steps in and says, ‘Hey we want to help out,’ it really feels good because not only do they see a benefit in what we do here, but they’re taking an active interest in maintaining and helping us grow for what we do for our youth,” he said.
Laycock also said the work done by Spire will help the camp transition from the summer camp season to fall programming, which begins next month.
He said the cabin painting and creek work were especially significant.
“We have a couple of people who live on the property and maintain the property, but that type of project, it just takes a lot of hours. So, we’re really excited to get them painting those buildings, giving them a fresh look,” he said. “Our creeks have really over the years filled up with sediment, causing them to flood, and they’re (Spire crews) there with the equipment just digging out those creeks again and repairing some of our bridges in what we call Cub World, which is where our Cub Scouts spend most of their time.”
Spire CEO and President Scott Doyle said the volunteers were a mix of employees across all departments.
“Most people who work for Spire come to work because they love to give back and give back to others,” he said. “We are a service-oriented organization. We interact with our customers on a day-in-and-day-out basis. We see the opportunities to give back to the community.”
Doyle also serves on the Board of Directors for Greater St. Louis Area Scouting.
“What I’ve loved about Scouts personally is how it trains young men and women to explore the world around them, to learn about different things, get a chance to do things they may not have been able to without being a part of an organization like this,” he said on Aug. 18. “Doing the few things that we’re able to get accomplished today just helps the organization keep moving forward and keeping things accessible and affordable for the Scouts in order to be able to come out here and enjoy this great asset that the community has.”
Employees’ thoughts
Among those on a work crew was Tony Overman, 43, of De Soto.
Overman, who has been an operations support supervisor for Spire for 6 1/2 years, said it was important to him to give back to the community.
“It’s good that we’re giving back, especially helping with something that we have the equipment and the trucks to take care of. It doesn’t cost the county, it doesn’t cost Boy Scouts, it doesn’t cost nothing. Spire is just giving our time and everything we have to throw at it for today.”
Andy Karcher, an internal audit manager from South St. Louis County, has been coming to Beaumont Scout Reservation for decades as a volunteer and former Boy Scout.
Karcher, who has been with Spire for 16 years, said the in-person volunteer work means more to him than a monetary donation.
“You get to see the adventures you’re creating for these Scouts every day, and that’s huge,” he said. “Every hour we put in is another adventure that a leader gets to help with because they don’t have to spend the time doing the maintenance.”
For more information on the Beaumont Scout Reservation, visit www.stlbsa.org. To learn more about Spire’s Day for Good program, visit spireenergy.com/spire-serves.