ST. LOUIS - For a little more than a decade, the spirit of athletic competition at area schools and sports organizations has been energized through donations of scoreboards by the Electrical Connection. The labor-management partnership will close out 2019 having donated and installed 23 scoreboards for free at 16 schools and athletic organizations in eastern Missouri since 2009. The Electrical Connection unites members of the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractor Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1.

The scoreboards have been donated and installed in urban, suburban and rural schools and organizations from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau, Mo. They include indoor and outdoor digital scoreboards for basketball, football, softball, baseball and multi-purpose use.

“For years, our members not only have served the electrical and communication needs of these schools and organizations, but they’ve sent their children to the schools and helped coach sporting activities,” said Frank Jacobs, IBEW Local 1 business manager. “So we have a personal stake in energizing school spirit and a sense of community in the neighborhoods served by the schools.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Terry Kitchen who was athletic director for Cape Central Junior High School in 2013 and remarked, “They’ve not only done excellent work for our district, but are dedicated to improving our school community. We’ve got the best scoreboards in southeast Missouri because of the Electrical Connection’s generosity.”

“The scoreboard donations are a way to say thank you to schools and athletic organizations that have relied on IBEW/NECA to build and renovate their education and sports facilities,” added Doug Martin, executive vice president, St. Louis Chapter NECA. “It’s a value add to our services which have evolved with the needs of schools, including integrated communications technology, advanced security, LED lighting and greater energy efficiency.”

The schools and athletic organizations benefiting from the donated scoreboards since 2009 have included:

· Bishop DuBourg High School, St. Louis	· Cape Central Jr. High School, Cape Girardeau
· Northwest High School, Cedar Hill	· John F. Kennedy High School, Manchester. · Mathews Dickey Boys & Girls Club, St. Louis. (video monument sign).
· McCluer South-Berkeley High School, Ferguson	· Herculaneum High School, Herculaneum
· St. Mary’s High School, St. Louis	· Orchard Farm High School, St. Charles.

The Electrical Connection has also donated and installed scoreboards at the following schools and organizations:

In addition to the donated scoreboards, the Electrical Connection is also actively partnering with schools to improve their STEM education programs. It has devoted countless hours making presentations to students that tie in science, technology, engineering and math to ever advancing electrical and communication infrastructure. That includes smart building technology, renewable and traditional forms of energy, advanced manufacturing, digital technology and more.

Electrical Connection members provide safe and reliable electrical construction,maintenance, repair and replacement services across Missouri, the nation and the world. For more information visit www.electricalconnection.org.