Pantex Blog
Pantex Employees Bowl for Kids’ Sake
Pantexans are well known for their generosity and going “above and beyond” to help out in their communities and that spirit of giving was never more prevalent than at the recent Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Bowl For Kid’s Sake. Besides Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC being a corporate sponsor for this year’s fundraiser, Pantex employees filled lane after lane with bowlers to help raise money and awareness for the mentoring program.
It’s an all-day event with teams coming and going at Western Bowl for bowling fun and bringing in sponsorships that go directly to the BBBS organization, which serves more than 250 young men and women in the Amarillo and Canyon area. Along with those successfully matched, at any one time, BBBS may have up to 150 little brothers and sisters on their waiting list, usually from single parent homes where a young man or woman might not get the one-on-one time with an adult that they need.
At absolutely no cost to the parent, the children, or “Littles” are signed up and then matched up with a “Big” who agrees to spend a few hours a week with their match. Their mission is to help children reach their full potential through professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. Through fund-raising efforts like Bowl for Kids’ Sake, they are able to keep the program up and running. It’s a huge undertaking for the staff at BBBS, but the rewards are worth every minute spent in fundraising.
“Bowl For Kids’ Sake is one of our agency’s largest fundraisers and accounts for over 30% of our annual budget. Proceeds from the event are dedicated to program costs that directly affect the lives of the children we serve. We are able to help more than 250 children participating in our programs, thanks to our Bowl For Kids’ Sake sponsors,” said Emily Shelton Nance, executive director, BBBS of the Texas Panhandle.
Pantex employees always make up one of the largest groups to be represented with multiple teams being the norm, rather than the exception. Having the site so highly represented is also something that BBBS never takes for granted, and is very thankful for when it comes time each year to let the bowlers roll a pair of games.
“Pantex has been a cherished supporter of Bowl For Kids’ Sake. In the last nine years, more than 147 teams have participated in Bowl and provided needed funding to serve virtually hundreds of children living in our community,” added Nance.
BBBS is planning new and diverse forms of fundraising through the coming months, but it’s a sure bet that Bowl for Kids’ Sake will continue on as usual, with a great feeling of accomplishment from everyone involved, including the Pantexans who will once again takes to the lanes to make a big difference and have a little fun for some “Bigs” and “Littles” who are the real winners.
Pantexans Succeed in Fitness Challenge
While they are extremely dedicated to accomplishing the important mission of the Plant, Pantexans sure don’t mind a little friendly competition. They recently participated in a Push-Up Challenge as part of the ongoing Active for Life Challenge, a 10-week American Cancer Society program to encourage employees to be more active and eat healthier foods. During the event Pantexans completed a total of 5366 push-ups and each of the 144 participants received 100 bonus points to contribute to their respective team scores.
The 25 Pantex teams are competing against each other and against teams at Y-12 National Security Complex and other DOE facilities.
The winner of the men’s competition, Geoffry Evans, completed 127 push-ups in two minutes wearing a dress shirt, slacks and a tie. Julie Herman and Savannah Gates tied the women’s competition by completing 100 push-ups each in two minutes. Many of the participants set a personal record.
Pantex Plant Hosts Leadership Amarillo & Canyon on Annual Visit
It is an annual passage of Spring in the Panhandle of Texas; trees blooming, grass greening up and members from Leadership Amarillo & Canyon making their way out to the Pantex plant northeast of Amarillo for their yearly tour of the facility.
This professional group, founded about 35 years ago is built on the strength of community leaders and business people who want to learn more about what’s happening in their own collective backyards. Designed to introduce leadership development, networking, community awareness and social consciousness to anyone wanting to make an impact in their community; they meet 10 months out of the year, experiencing a variety of businesses and industries while interacting with civic, business and non-profit agencies across the region.
This year, the group of close to 50 made its way to the main entrance building where they were greeted by Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert who offered up a Q&A session.
During lunch, they were introduced to Pantex Plant Agronomist Monty Schoenhals who gave an intriguing presentation on the storied history and timeline of the site. For those in attendance like Canyon City Manager, Randy Criswell, this is a rare opportunity to visit one of the area’s largest employers.
“One of the best things about this program is everything you get to see and be a part of… the familiarity with businesses and especially places like Pantex.”
After lunch the group was escorted around the perimeter of the plant along with the opportunity to get an up-close view of some of the security vehicles on one of their stops.
Then, to wrap up their day, the visitors were taken to a test firing site to experience first-hand what it looks, sounds — and feels like — to witness a planned test shot with high explosives or HE. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, it was a big hit, as was the entire tour.
Leadership Amarillo & Canyon members say they now have a better understanding of the mission here at Pantex.
“This leadership program is very diverse. It’s unique to be able to come to a place like this (Pantex) and see everything that we’re being shown. It’s something that ‘John Q Citizen’ will probably never get to see for themselves,” said Criswell.
Plans are already in the works for Leadership Amarillo & Canyon to visit Pantex again in 2016 with a new group of area leaders wanting to gain a better understanding of local businesses in the area.
Sandia Weapons Interns Visit Pantex
The current Sandia Weapons Intern Program (WIP) class recently visited NNSA’s Pantex Plant as part of the six-month program curriculum. While at Pantex, participants visited several operational facilities such as training bays, pit staging sites and firing sites. Currently there are approximately 24 participants in the WIP from various labs and sites across NNSA.
Since the program’s inception, more than 300 individuals from the nation’s weapons community have gone through the program. Through a combination of classroom study taught by active and retired weaponeers, site visits, and individual and team projects, weapon interns have honed their skills, broadened their knowledge base, and expanded their network of colleagues in the nuclear weapons community.
Panhandle Area Firefighting Brings Response from Pantex
The winds across the Texas Panhandle region are just about as famous as they are hazardous; especially for first responders battling area fires. Such was the case recently, when both volunteer and full time fire fighters joined forces to battle a blaze just a few miles from the Pantex plant, with emergency personnel from Potter County, Groom, Panhandle, and Pantex joining forces in response.
At risk: a house and its neighboring structures along with the potential hazard of a propane tank in the path of the flames. The winds whipped them up and the call for an emergency response went out. Luckily, within a very short time, the fire was out and there were no injuries reported.
Pantex maintains Memorandums of Understanding with the surrounding counties adjacent to the site and when requested, will render aid. Pantex fire and ambulance crews are on standby 24 hours a day, poised to respond to any plant emergencies and to assist surrounding municipalities through their mutual aid agreement.
For the Pantex fire department and its crew, this call was another chance to not only hone their firefighting skills, but even more, an opportunity to help out neighbors in distress. Pantex Fire Chief Mike Brock knows the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.
“All of our services hinge around caring for people. When someone calls for emergency medical or fire service it is likely one of their worst days. Because of our location and the services we offer, many times we can provide the closest emergency response to incidents near the plant As Spring begins, we will start to have wild fire season and having these agreements is key to providing enough resources to address the large fast moving wild fires in our area,” he said.
The Pantex fire department is certified through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) and regularly trains to ensure it meets or exceeds TCFP continuing education requirements. Members of the department maintain certifications so they are ready to respond to any emergency that arises, whether on-site or in a neighboring community.
“Our department provides emergency response for fire, emergency medical, rescue and hazardous materials. In order to satisfy the continuing education requirements of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, Texas Department of State Health Services and the plant, the department personnel attend regular training to ensure their knowledge is current and to test their performance skills. This training ensures our personnel are ready to respond to all types of emergencies,” added Chief Brock.
For those firefighters, it’s a chance to help people in the area, protect the region including property and remain good stewards and more importantly, good neighbors. For area towns and cities along with their residents, all that training the Pantex Fire Department receives and their willingness to respond to situations before they become disasters is a true blessing.