Lincoln, Neb. — April 22, 2020 — A community is woven together by the strengths and gifts that its residents share with each other to make their hometowns a great place.  Much of that great work is done by unsung heroes who volunteer countless hours to help those in need or roll up their sleeves to do the hard work that needs done to make our communities welcoming.

 For Black Hills Energy, it’s hard to find a value with more important attributes than what volunteerism exhibits.  To honor this value, each year the company names a Volunteer of the Year in the state of Nebraska. 

 “The volunteer of the year award recognizes employees who exemplify our mission, vision and values,” said Kevin Jarosz, vice president of Nebraska operations. “This past year both Carrie and Bert have shown us that they are generous with their time and focused on making life better for our customers and their communities.”

 This year’s winners are Bert Flores, operations support specialist from Scottsbluff and Carrie Mausbach, also an operations support specialist in Columbus. 

Flores is recognized for her participation in community events in both Scottsbluff and Alliance. During the past year she has completed Leadership Scottsbluff and served on committees for Oregon Trail Days, Bands on Broadway, and Mainstreet Scottsbluff.  She is also on the United Way board of directors and has led many other efforts to give back to communities in the region.

Carrie is recognized for serving in key roles and volunteering for Big Pals Little Pals, United Way of Columbus, Youth for Christ, Drive for Five and other Chamber of Commerce events throughout the region, Columbus Big Give, Columbus Days, Keep Columbus Clean, Salvation Army and many other events and organizations.

 “Both of these winners find joy in giving back and bring that joy to others by getting us all involved,” shares Jarosz.  “The generous energy they bring to our team makes us better every day.”

 As a part of the award, Flores and Mausbach were each given $500 to donate to the organization of their choice.  Flores selected Skipper’s Cupboard and Mausbach donated to the Senior Citizens Center of Columbus.