The contractor for the Savannah River Site's MOX project is best known for constructing a facility to help dispose of weapons-grade plutonium. But recently, the contractor showed it has other investments and interests in the Aiken community.
Over the past several weeks, employees, friends and family members of the CB&I AREVA MOX Services team raised $57,300 for Children's Place, the largest donation amount ever raised by the company.
MOX Services raised the money through a series of events, including its well-known Celebrity Waiter Night. The event annually brings "celebrities" from across the Aiken area to wait tables in many local restaurants, such as Grumpy's Sports Pub and Travinia Italian Kitchen.
Other events include a barbecue lunch at the Savannah River Site and the MOX Children's Place golf tournament at Woodside Plantation Country Club. The MOX contractor has also participated in fundraisers such as bake sales, lunches and a silent auction.
MOX employees also generously donated "Wish List" items to Children's Place, including blankets, toiletries and art supplies.
"I am so proud of our employees and staff this year for their efforts to provide Children's Place with such a record-setting donation," said David Del Vecchio, president and project manager for the MOX project.
Del Vecchio served as a Celebrity Waiter Night host this year, and said the group's effort is "a testament to our people and their generosity that makes such a difference to this worthy cause year after year."
Children's Place is a child and family development center serving at-risk children in Aiken County. MOX has raised funds for the charity for the past eight years.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.