ComEd Employee From Flossmoor Honored For Volunteer Work

FLOSSMOOR, IL - A ComEd employee from Flossmoor is the recipient of a prestigious company award that recognizes volunteerism and service. Kristopher Steward recently presented a check for $5,000 to 100 Black Men of Chicago, an organization of successful African-American men who provide educational and mentoring opportunities to youth in the area. He's volunteered with the organization since 2014 and his involvement with it has grown ever since.

Recently, Steward was one of 24 ComEd and Exelon employees nationally to be a recipient of Exelon’s Energy for the Community Employee Volunteer Award. The award gives grants to nonprofit organizations supported by ComEd and Exelon employees like 100 Black Men of Chicago.

All winners of the award spend more than 50 hours a year volunteering.

For Steward, that means every Saturday spending time helping students navigate the everyday struggles of youth and successfully transitioning to adulthood through group mentoring sessions. Steward said that after speaking to the students about his own career path and his job at ComEd, several have expressed interest in studying engineering just like he did.

One of the young minds mentored by Steward has shown a considerable improvement thanks to Steward's dedication. The student was close to permanent expulsion when Steward quickly stepped into to appeal the decision.

He spoke to the school’s counselor and assistant principal, who ultimately decided that, with Steward’s help, they would give the student one last chance.

The same student is now a junior in high school and is maintaining a 3.0 GPA.

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