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Connecting the Community
ATMOS public affairs manager expands outreach to spread the safety message
By Michael Downes 811 Magazines
You might not think of elementary school-age children as a target for “call before you dig” messaging, but it’s never too early to start teaching kids — and their parents — about safe digging, according to a Louisiana damage prevention champion.
Kaia Simmons, manager of public affairs
for Atmos Energy in Baton Rouge, says accountability is the number one reason to start early with effective messaging.
“The kids will help hold their parents accountable,” she said. “Atmos has their messaging with kids, and they will remember if they see their parents digging and they will say ‘Did you call’. If you start early, safe digging becomes part of their culture.”
Atmos hires Kid Energy to stage these productions, which use kid-friendly characters like Gus the Gopher and Rosie the Skunk in schools and other community locations to educate kids about safe digging and what to
do if you smell gas. The utility company, in cooperation with Louisiana One Call brought
the presentation to several kid-friendly venues recently, including the Children’s Museum of St Tammany, where additional safety messages were shared beyond the importance of safe digging.
Kaia’s outreach falls under the company’s vision of Safe and Thriving Communities, which
seeks out non-profits with an emphasis on initiatives that support students, community heroes like first responders and teachers, and
the most vulnerable neighbors, including those experiencing homelessness or with mental health needs.
Kaia has a long history of community organizing and brought that charisma to Atmos when she joined the company about two years ago. She was hired away from her position as director
of a local non-profit that organizes volunteers
to go into public schools and provide support, particularly on the first day of school. She got to know Atmos employees through her outreach program.
“Atmos was one of our partners, and I got to know them. And now I’m in the role as partner,” she said. “My current boss recruited me for the job. I have an inside perspective coming from a non-profit.”
In the two years she’s been with Atmos, Kaia
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2024, Issue 3