MDU Resources Foundation contributes more than $2 million in 2023

 

The MDU Resources Foundation provided $2,096,290 in grants to 600 charities and organizations in communities where MDU Resources Group companies operate.

Annually, the MDU Resources Foundation supports organizations qualified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Primary consideration is given to charitable institutions, organizations and programs within the geographic areas where member companies conduct business.

The foundation considers requests in the following categories:

  • Health and human services.
  • Education.
  • Civic and community activities.
  • Culture and arts.
  • Environment.

Contributions matching employee volunteer, donation efforts
The foundation also provided contributions to match employees’ volunteering efforts and support of educational institutions in 2023.

  • For the Volunteer Match program, the foundation contributed a total of $99,000 in 2023 to match 7,694 hours of reported employee volunteerism.
  • For the Education Match Program, the foundation contributed a total of $7,531 in 2023 to match employees’ contributions of $21,281.

Since 1983, the MDU Resources Foundation has contributed more than $42 million to worthwhile charities and organizations.

Learn more about the MDU Resources Foundation at www.mdu.com/about-us/community.

 

IT developers go back to school to inspire next generation of coders

Baley Wilson (top) and Clay Kuznia (bottom), both associate software developers, mentor their assigned students on a STEM project as part of his volunteer efforts for Hour of Code at Monroe Elementary School in Boise, Idaho. The event was part of Idaho’s Computer Science Education Week.
Photo credit: KTVB.com

 

Three members of MDU Resources’ Enterprise Information Technology web development team recently went back to school. Not to learn, but rather to help elementary students discover coding.

Joseph Murphy, Clay Kuznia and Baley Wilson, all associate software developers in EIT, volunteered for Hour of Code at Monroe Elementary School in Boise, Idaho. The event was part of Idaho’s Computer Science Education Week.

The trio heard of the volunteer opportunity from their supervisor. Wilson said he chose to volunteer because it was a good opportunity to share his skills with local kids. Kuznia thought it was a great way to foster interest in computer programming.

“My favorite part of volunteering was witnessing the ‘aha’ or ‘eureka’ moment when they found the solution to the problem, in most cases by themselves or with little help,” Wilson said. “It was cool to see the kids build confidence in themselves and build important problem-solving skills.”

For some classes, the coding lessons integrated popular video games to provide additional excitement for the kids. The students Wilson worked with love the game “Minecraft,” and the lessons provided a coding challenge for this game.

Murphy was paired with a third/fourth grade class, and the students caught on to the coding challenges almost immediately.

“My role ended up being a voice to push the kids to try new things and experiment rather than to teach the lessons,” Murphy said. “Overall, my favorite part of the experience was seeing the kids’ heartwarming enjoyment while problem solving and learning to code.”

Kuznia was assigned to a first grade class and loved seeing so much excitement in the classroom.

“It felt more like a fun activity instead of a lesson, and it was effortless to get the first grade students interested in the activity,” Kuznia said. “Many of the students were overjoyed when completing a section of their Scratch Jr. coding challenge. The kids appeared to be having a great time. Overall, it felt like a positive experience for everyone.”

 

Employees purchase gifts for 39 families

For the 19th year, employees in Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota, gave generously in hopes of making the holidays a little brighter for families in need.

Employees at MDU Resources, Montana-Dakota Utilities, the Heskett Station, WBI Energy and MDU Construction Services Group supported the Abused Adult Resource Center’s Hope for the Holidays program by purchasing, wrapping and delivering gifts for 39 families consisting of 144 individuals.

The Abused Adult Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in seven North Dakota counties.

Sonya Wald with Montana-Dakota Utilities has led the company’s participation with Abused Adult Resource Center’s program since 2013. At that time, 12 families received gifts.

According to Wald, employees from 36 departments contributed to this year’s effort.

“Abused Adult Resource Center had 300 individuals this year, so our exceptional teams were able to assist with almost half of the community need,” Wald said.

Wald and fellow co-workers Dyke Boese, Dave Wiedmeier, Sarah Kirkendall, Alice Gross and Holly Watts gathered and delivered the gifts, which nearly filled a 16-foot trailer.

22 students receive scholarships from MDU Resources Foundation’s Employee Scholarship Program

The MDU Resources Foundation recently awarded 22 scholarships worth $2,000 each to students who are family members of employees from across MDU Resources Group’s companies.

This year’s recipients are featured below.

The Employee Scholarship Program is awarded annually to children, grandchildren and spouses of eligible employees. Up to 30 scholarships in the amount of $2,000 are awarded each year.  Since 1987, the foundation has awarded more than $1.13 million in scholarships to family members of MDU Resources employees.

While the foundation funds and determines the criteria for awarding the scholarships, it hires Scholarship America to select the winners.

Scholarship recipients are selected based on:

  • Academic excellence, including class rank, test scores and grade-point average;
  • Work experience;
  • Participation in school and community activities;
  • Volunteerism; and
  • A written statement of their career goals.

 

Recipients of the 2023 Employee Scholarship Program

WBI Energy employee recognized with life-saver award

Ryan Muecke, senior area representative with WBI Energy, third from right, received the Liberty Mutual Life Saver Award for his actions to help a teenage boy in an ATV accident. Pictured with Muecke, from left, are Brian Voss, WBI Energy Worland District transmission supervisor; Muecke’s wife, Christy, and children, Curtis, Charlee and Tucker; Brandon Hoehn, technical consultant with Liberty Mutual; and Mike St. Clair, WBI Energy Worland District manager.

 

Ryan Muecke, a senior area representative in the Worland District for WBI Energy, was heading home from work recently when his sharp observation skills and instinct to stop may have saved the life of a teenage boy.

While Muecke was driving down a county road, he spotted the tire of an all-terrain vehicle sticking up out of a ditch. He slowed as he got closer and could see hands waving from under an overturned four-wheeler.

“I pulled safely off the road as quickly as I could and ran over to find a teenage kid with his leg pinned under the four-wheeler,” Muecke said. “He was not bleeding and didn’t appear hurt, but his leg was pinned and he couldn’t get out from under the machine.”

Muecke asked the boy if it was OK for him to try rolling the four-wheeler up enough for him to try to get out from under it. When the boy said it was, Muecke was able to lift it and the teen scrambled out.

Muecke said that after making sure the boy was OK and able to walk, the teen helped Muecke push the four-wheeler back onto its wheels. Another truck pulled up at that point, and the other driver also helped push the four-wheeler out of the ditch.

Muecke noted that the accident happened because the boy had a poorly secured load on his four-wheeler — a tank sprayer for spraying weeds. When a strap holding the tank came loose, it caught the front wheel and caused the ATV to flip down the steep embankment.

“I’m glad I was there to help, and that everything turned out OK. It could have been a lot worse if that ditch had been full of water or the tank had come loose and landed on him, or if fuel from the ATV had spilled,” Muecke said. “It was a good reminder to always make sure equipment is secured properly.”

For his actions that day, Liberty Mutual honored Muecke with the Life Saver Award “for outstanding courage and humanity.”

Employees volunteer during lunch break to serve meals to kids

 

More than 40 Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota, employees volunteered during their lunch hour to serve meals for the Summer Hunger lunch program.

The MSA United Way and Bismarck Public Schools partner to provide free, hot meals to children under age 18 at 11 sites throughout Bismarck. Volunteers are instrumental in getting the meals to the mouths of hungry kids.

Employees from MDU Resources, WBI Energy, MDU Construction Services Group and Montana-Dakota Utilities, including the Bismarck Service Center, volunteered to serve meals.

The employees adopted two of the 11 sites throughout Bismarck to serve meals Monday through Friday. Each of those days, from June through mid-July, two employees at each site served meals, and many employees were repeat volunteers during the six weeks.

Kellie Erhardt, internal auditing director at MDU Resources, led the efforts on behalf of the company. She served as the liaison between United Way, recruited volunteers and managed all coordination efforts.

“Volunteer time and energy are invaluable to this program to help achieve its goals and serve our community,” Erhardt said. “It’s so amazing to see how our employees are quick to help, and some even included their families in this volunteer opportunity.”

Ferderer named to Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC’s “20 Under 40” list

We’re proud to announce that Nikki Ferderer, assistant to the chair of the board and the president & CEO, has been named to the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC’s 20 Under 40 list.

In her role at MDU Resources, Nikki provides support to the CEO and board of directors of the region’s largest publicly traded company. She is a trustworthy team player who, no matter how busy she is, maintains her professional and friendly composure and makes it all look easy!

Ferderer joined MDU Resources in 2008 and was promoted to her current role in 2016.

Read more about Ferderer and the other professionals recognized at https://issuu.com/bismarckmandanchamberconnection/docs/08chamberedc_connissuu_ae6fac43132d83

Brightening birthdays: WBI Energy employees donate 42 Caring Cake Kits

Mindi Steckler (left), WBI Energy director of human resources, and Patty Fillion (second from left), WBI Energy administrative assistant, delivered 42 Caring Cake Kits to the Dream Center Bismarck. They were joined by Kelly and Johnathan Allen (center) with K&R Designs, and Dorreen Quist (second from right), manager of Dream Center Bismarck, and Jim Barnhardt (right), founder of Dream Center Bismarck.

 

Cakes and birthdays go hand in hand. But for families struggling to make ends meet, a birthday cake and celebration can bring added financial stress.

In honor of America’s birthday, July Fourth, employees in WBI Energy’s Bismarck, North Dakota, office created Caring Cake Kits to help struggling families celebrate their loved ones’ birthdays.

Patty Fillion, administrative assistant at WBI Energy, rallied her co-workers around this initiative. Payroll teams from MDU Resources and Knife River, which are both located in WBI’s building, also participated.

Employees donated enough supplies to create 42 kits. Each Caring Cake Kit includes:

  • A nine by 13-inch disposable aluminum cake pan.
  • Cake mix.
  • Icing.
  • A can of Sprite, which can be used in place of eggs and oil in a cake mix.
  • Candles.
  • A birthday card.

The employees’ efforts were in collaboration with K&R Designs and the Dream Center Bismarck, both in Bismarck, North Dakota. The Caring Cake Kit is K&R Design’s community initiative, and the kits are distributed through the Dream Center’s food pantry.

Inspired by personal experience
Caring Cake Kits is the brainchild of Kelly Allen, co-founder of K&R Designs. It was inspired by her own experience during a time of financial hardship.

When her husband lost his job during the pandemic, they couldn’t afford a cake for their child’s birthday. It was also during this time when they became familiar with the Dream Center, as they used its services, including the food pantry.

The Caring Cake Kits initiative is one way the Allen family pays it forward and helps others in need. They partnered with the Dream Center, which distributes the kits through its food pantry. This ensures families in need never miss a birthday celebration.

 

About the Dream Center Bismarck
The Dream Center Bismarck is a nonprofit center dedicated to serving low-income and struggling families, children, elderly, disabled, veterans and individuals in the Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota area.

 

Bismarck-Mandan employees repair two homes during Rebuilding Together event

Over two weekends, employees from MDU Resources and Montana-Dakota Utilities volunteered for Rebuilding Together in Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota. MDU Resources sponsored two of the 18 projects selected this year.

Bismarck-Mandan employees and family members volunteered at the annual Rebuilding Together event in the community. Over two weekends, a total of 21 employees representing MDU Resources and Montana-Dakota Utilities shared their time and talents to fix and improve various items at two homes.

This year, MDU Resources sponsored two of the 18 projects Rebuilding Together Bismarck-Mandan took on.

MDU Resources employees Shane Wothe, manager of enterprise endpoints and technical services, and Mark Haag, manager of project Maximo and process improvement, served as house captains.

Rainy weather didn’t stop the team during the first weekend

During the first weekend, volunteers made repairs to the home of an elderly disabled person. The largest part of the project was to relevel the front porch and rebuild the existing set of entry stairs, which were falling apart and creating a safety hazard for the homeowner. Smaller repairs done by the team ranged from repairing window screens to replacing flooring to caulking windows and many other tasks.

Cold, rainy weather on the first day did not hinder the volunteers’ dedication or efforts.

“I’m so grateful that the volunteers did not let the rain stop them from completing our work,” Wothe said.

Second weekend aided by multi-day volunteers and sunshine

The next weekend brought about warmer weather for volunteers, who had a long to-do list to tackle at the second house. The tasks included lawn/yard care, painting walls and cabinetry, replacing flooring and subflooring and much more.

Haag said the volunteers for the second house worked hard and tackled the large to-do list, as well as unforeseen repairs that needed to be made to the home.

“Many of the volunteers from MDU Resources and Montana-Dakota were multi-day helpers,” Haag said. “Shane and I would like to thank them for sticking with it and pushing through to the end.”

Rebuilding Together of Bismarck-Mandan is a nonprofit that helps elderly and disabled low-income homeowners stay warm, safe and dry by making essential repairs to their homes.

MDU Resources-sponsored STEM Expo attracts more than 380 kids

More than 380 kids and their families attended this year’s STEM Expo, presented by MDU Resources, the Bismarck Larks and North Dakota’s Gateway to Science.

 

More than 380 kids and their parents attended the fifth annual STEM Expo, sponsored by MDU Resources, the Bismarck Larks and North Dakota’s Gateway to Science.

The free expo featured 15 booths of hands-on STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) for kids of all ages. It was held at the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark where the Larks play their baseball games.

The MDU Resources family of companies was represented by:

  • Montana-Dakota Utilities line technicians and bucket truck.
  • MDU Resources employees who helped kids participate in brain teaser activities.

STEM-related activities offered by other organizations included:

  • Meteorology.
  • Robotics.
  • Forensics.
  • Virtual reality.
  • Medical demonstrations and more.

For the first time, the event featured a live science demo conducted by local science teacher Scott Weigum.