Four employees from Salt River Project were awarded the SRP Presidents’ Volunteer Spirit Award for exemplary community service to organizations across the Valley.

This year’s award includes a new category that recognizes the service and volunteerism of individual departments at SRP. The inaugural recipient, SRP’s Customer Contact Operations team, participated in 18 volunteer events with 214 volunteers logging 490 hours of service to organizations that include Dsquared Homes for the Homeless, Feed My Starving Children, Future for Kids, Paz de Cristo, The Salvation Army, St. Mary’s Food Bank and St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix.

“Volunteerism and community service is essential to employee culture at SRP,” stated SRP President David Rousseau in a news release. “Every year, current employees give their time, talent and energy to nonprofits across the Valley, and their impact is profound. It is a pleasure to recognize their contributions and thank them for their service to the community, especially during Global Volunteer Month this April.”

In 2024, current SRP employees along with their friends and family members volunteered more than 20,200 hours at more 190 organizations around Arizona and over 310 company-sponsored charitable events across the Valley.

Learn more about the Presidents’ Volunteer Spirit Award honorees and the organizations they support:

Jon Buseman, SRP Nondestructive Examination and Quality Control Specialist

Volunteers with: Arizona Elk Society

Jon Buseman began volunteering with the Arizona Elk Society in 2017. He has since committed 200 hours annually to the organization and helps promote its mission to improve the lives of elk and other wildlife through habitat conservation and restoration efforts, while preserving hunting heritage for current and future generations. With 10 years of experience at Apache County Search and Rescue, Jon was uniquely suited to serve the Elk Society in another significant role: applying his decade of experience to lead guided expeditions for disabled veterans through the Arizona Elk Society. To date, he has led more than 85 expeditions, and in 2024 alone, led 15 expeditions.

Ryan Knowlton, SRP Senior Utility Forester

Volunteers with: Trees Matter

Since 2018, Ryan Knowlton has been volunteering with Trees Matter, an organization dedicated to creating and inspiring a more equitable tree canopy in the Valley. Ryan spends 50 hours every year assisting Trees Matter with community-wide tree planting events. A certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture, Ryan leads planting events and demonstrates proper tree planting techniques and educates community members on the long-term care of trees. His dedication has contributed to the organization’s successful planting of 519 trees and distribution of 5,950 trees. Additionally, the program has provided education to more than 3,000 people about the importance of trees and how to care for them. Ryan also serves as the organization’s Board Vice Chair and helps promote the non-profit’s mission to the community.

Michalene Hunt, SRP Customer Service Specialist

Volunteers with: Friends for Life Animal Rescue

In 2024, Michalene Hunt logged more than 70 volunteer hours for Friends for Life Animal Rescue. Since she began volunteering with Friends for Life, she has served in various roles, which include dog caregiver and foster. She is currently training to become a dog caregiver shift lead. Michalene began volunteering after the passing of her own dog last summer.

Karl F. Abel Award Recipient: Mike Heath, SRP Fleet Design Specialist

Volunteers with Project SALT

The Presidents’ Volunteer Spirit Karl F. Abel Award honors SRP employees and retirees who demonstrate the same commitment that former SRP President Karl F. Abel had to volunteerism and charitable work in the Valley.

Mike Heath, SRP Fleet Design Specialist, served on the Board of Directors for Project SALT (Serving and Loving Together) in its first years as a charity, and in 2024, he contributed 360 volunteer hours alone. The organization provides meals, clothing, hygiene products and baby essentials to those in need. During his time on the Board, he helped solidify the agency's nonprofit status. Heath also donates his time to other Wickenburg organizations, including the Wickenburg Area Habitat for Humanity, the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce, Wickenburg Clean and Beautiful and the Wickenburg Rotary Club.

This year, SRP received 45 nominations for the SRP Presidents’ Volunteer Spirit Awards.

Nominations come from employees, coworkers, and retirees. Nominees must complete an application, provide details about their nonprofit volunteer work, including duration and average hours, and describe their role and impact. An external panel reviewed the applications and selected the final SRP Presidents’ Volunteer Spirit Award recipients.

To learn more about SRP volunteers, visit this page.

Editor's note: The above was republished from an SRP news release.