Reaching out to friends and neighbors when it’s needed most

A spirit of generosity and community commitment is a hallmark of LG&E and KU employees and retirees, who give back in many meaningful ways. One retiree – through gestures large and small – is making a huge impact within his traumatized community in western Kentucky.

After historic tornadoes tore through the area on Dec. 10, many residents of Dawson Springs lost everything – leaving them homeless, displaced and struggling. Thankfully the property of Rhonda and Donnie Mills – a former Earlington Operations Center manager who retired in 2020 – was spared. The couple, in turn, opened their hearts and doors to help restore a sense of community for fellow parishioners at Resurrection Catholic Church, which was lost to the storm. Rhonda and Donnie hosted Christmas Eve Mass for about 45 people. Since then, they have continued to host Mass every weekend and Thursday mornings in the makeshift “church” – a metal 20x25-foot outbuilding mainly used as an exercise room.

In the wake of the devastation created by these historic storms, LG&E and KU donated $50,000 to the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund. Parent company PPL Corporation made a matching $50,000 donation to the fund.