Havre NorthWestern Energy volunteers work at Optimist Park

Employees of NorthWestern Energy's Havre Operations Divisioon and Havre Gas Division Wednesday joined other company employees in participating in National Volunteer Week by volunteering for some work in Havre's Optimist Park.

"It's community service week for NorthWestern Energy and they partnered with the Havre Optimist Club to do a repaint and a refurbishing of all the back stops at the Havre Optimist Park's baseball field," Havre Optimist Club President Mike Zook said.

NorthWestern Community Relations Manager Shane Etzwiler said the Havre employees picked the project.

"The Havre Optimist Park ball fields are a treasured feature in Havre and hold lots of memories for so many people, so the team in the Havre Operations and Gas Divisions were excited to give both of their time as well as some financial support through NorthWestern Energy's Volunteer Program," Etzwiler said.

The work is part of a regional effort, a release from NorthWestern Energy said. Its employees are planting trees, working at food banks, cleaning up trash and more during National Volunteer Week this week, April 21-27.

To recognize the work of its employees, NorthWestern Energy is making donations to the organizations with which employees are volunteering.

"NorthWestern Energy's 1,500 employees live, work and raise their families in the communities we serve," said NorthWestern Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Bird. "Contributing to make our communities better places to live for all is a core value of our company."

Several projects, such as planting trees at Poly Vista Park in Billings and the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings, South Dakota, along with clean up along the Big Sioux River in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Blacktail Creek Trail in Butte, recognize Earth Day.

Last year NorthWestern Energy contributed $94,900 in recognition of employee volunteerism with organizations in the communities it serves, the release said.