About NEI

NEI is committed to serving the community through volunteer activities. These group efforts promote teamwork while bringing awareness to major issues affecting Americans. Below is a summary of how NEI has recently given back to the local community.

Energy for Life Blood Drive

Each year, NEI sponsors blood drives with other members of the nuclear industry. Nearly 80 blood drives this year across the country will collect more than 6,000 units of blood, which are used to replenish the blood shortage in the United States. Donating blood is helpful for responding to national crises, like hurricanes, which require large amounts of blood at one time. Since NEI began the program in 2001, the industry has collected more than 30,000 units of blood for local communities. The blood drive is coordinated through the American Red Cross and America’s Blood Centers.

Toys for Tots Drive

Throughout the holiday season, NEI collects new, unwrapped toys for underprivileged children of all ages to be distributed at Christmas. Since 1996, NEI has collected hundreds of toys and donations. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, the drive’s sponsor, hands out the toys to needy children in nearby communities prior to Christmas Day. According to the foundation’s website, approximately 13 million American children currently live in poverty.

Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure

NEI’s “Team Nuclear” participated in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure on the National Mall in June 2009 to raise awareness for breast cancer research and treatment. In less than 2 months, NEI employees raised nearly $5,400 toward breast cancer screening, treatment and education programs in the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area. The American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 192,000 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2009. Additional funding for cancer research from organizations like the Komen Race for the Cure has led to improvements in breast cancer treatment and early detection, which are increasing survival rates in cancer patients.