/

The Energy Behind the Community Energy Challenge: Dan and Amy Palmer

5 mins read
Amy Palmer instructs young volunteer, McKenna Ernest-Rothert on the art of shrink-wrapping, the final stage of the build.

FARMINGTON – United Way of the Tri-Valley Area recently wrapped up last year’s Community Energy Challenge, with more than 200 volunteers building 173 insulating panels during nine workshops. The panels are distributed to needy families to help save money on heat.

The initiative provides six free panels for families that qualify for heating assistance, saving an average of $30-$40 savings in monthly heating bills once installed. The panels are custom-made for each home and can be used year after year for continued savings.

A core group of volunteers come to almost every workshop, year after year, helping make the program possible. In addition, there are three key volunteers who do a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly: taking measurements, cutting the panel kits, making sure supplies are ordered, setting up workshops, sending out thank you notes, scheduling the measurements and installations, doing the installations and traveling all over Greater Franklin County, not to mention also building and training at the workshops.

Amy Palmer and her husband Dan are the key volunteers for the Community Energy Challenge. Ed King has also recently joined the key volunteer ranks for this program, doing measurements and installations, but Amy and Dan have been leading the Community Energy Challenge initiative since 2009. The initiative has engaged 932 volunteers who have served a total of 17,259 hours building and installing 2,432 interior storm window panels for 415 households and 22 public buildings in Greater Franklin County.

When grant funding for mileage reimbursement and consultation time was finally secured for the Palmers, they proceeded to give it all back to United Way to sustain the program for additional years.

Keeping people warm and saving energy has been a passion of the Palmers for some time. They have an extensive resume of volunteer service, including, but not limited to: volunteering for the Clearwater Food Pantry and the Starks Food Cupboard managing the food distribution, pick-ups, and serving clients, while also serving on the governing boards of both pantries; Amy also serves on the advisory board for the Franklin County Extension Homemakers and the Mt. Blue Garden Club; rehabilitating local homes as part of East Parish Housing Ministry; cooking for the Industry Community Kitchen and serving on their board, serving on Everyone’s Resource Depot board which recycles gently used items and makes them available to the community; and being an active member of Garden Angels, a program of the Franklin County Cooperative Extension, that makes handicapped-accessible garden boxes for members in the community who otherwise would not be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables.

The Palmers also volunteer with the Western Maine CA$H Coalition (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope). This program offers free tax preparation for households making less than $55,000 per year which are performed by IRS-certified volunteers. While her husband Dan is an IRS-certified volunteer tax preparer, Amy volunteers as an Opportunity Guide, coaching people about ways to improve their financial stability and providing resources in the community based on their stated needs (saving money, paying down debt, accessing food, heating assistance, etc.) which will hopefully help them on their way to improving their financial situation.

The Community Energy Challenge is made possible by the generous support of United Way of the Tri-Valley Area and the Susan and Fritz Onion Component Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. Anyone interested in getting on the waitlist for the next workshops should call 778-5048.

For additional information about United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, visit www.uwtva.org or call 778-5048. Like United Way on Facebook, too, to be kept up to speed on programs and initiatives that are up-coming (www.facebook.com/uwtva).

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.