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Profiles in Enrichment tells the stories of USEC employees who have made great contributions to the company or our local communities.
Allen Williams (fourth from left) and a team of USEC volunteers completed much-needed home repairs and improvements for a local family as part of a Christmas in April project.
For USEC budget manager Allen Williams, an ordinary mid-life crisis led to an extraordinary commitment to community service that has made him a role model for his fellow employees and a heralded community volunteer in the Paducah area.
A few years ago, Allen found himself looking for a new challenge, something “hands-on” that would be also meaningful.
“Vicki (his wife) was devoting a lot of time to her own career and the kids (daughter Emily and son Eric) were out of the house,” he explained. “Suddenly I just seemed to have more time on my hands,” something the hard-working East Tennessee native just wasn’t accustomed to having.
“When I was growing up, my jobs were physically demanding. I hauled hay, cut tobacco and spent summers working for a local asphalt paving company,” Allen said. “It was hard work, but I really liked the satisfaction of working with my hands and seeing what I had accomplished at the end of the day.”
“I didn’t make a conscious decision to start volunteering,” Allen said, “but I found myself taking on first one project and then another, until I realized that community service had become very important to me.”
Allen has served as Chair of Paducah’s Charitable Giving Committee for eight years, which gives him valuable insight to community needs and the ongoing work of non-profit agencies in the area. To some extent, that role served as a springboard for his community service work, as did the influence of his good friend, USEC retiree Lonnie Crowdus.
“Lonnie was always trying to get me involved in one of his projects,” Allen said.
One of his first major undertakings, and perhaps the one closest to his heart, was partnering with Lonnie to lead a team of USEC volunteers to complete needed repairs for low-income or elderly homeowners selected by the “Christmas in April” program.
The first time USEC sponsored a house, Allen served as “house captain” and the team spent a Saturday working on the home of a widow and her teenage son. The teamwork was outstanding and everyone involved looked forward to participating again the following year.
But, when the “USEC House” was chosen the following year, it quickly became apparent that the homeowners’ problems were more than cosmetic—their house needed major repairs just to be safe enough for them to continue living there. When many people would have walked away, Allen just went to work. When the USEC team wrapped up a long, hard weekend of work, they left the couple sitting on their new deck, with new wiring, a solid bathroom floor and fresh paint inside and out. More importantly, Allen’s team helped the elderly couple stay in the home they loved.
Allen was hooked and since then has continued to find a variety of ways to serve his community. He partnered with USEC cascade operator Earnest Hamilton to launch the annual USEC Shiftworkers Charity Golf Tournament, which has raised thousands of dollars for local charities. When asked to serve on the Board of Child Watch, Allen not only agreed, but quickly became the treasurer and a leading fundraiser for the children’s advocacy group. That led to a partnership with the Carpentry Class at the local Vocational School where Allen has arranged to place USEC mentors in the classroom with students where they teach life skills right along with the tricks of the carpentry trade.
Allen’s most recent effort is a collaboration with the Purchase Area Development District that establishes a program to provide repairs for elderly homeowners throughout the year. Allen is wisely using this project to “pass it on,” fostering service values in fellow employees by encouraging them to lead a repair project of their own.
A veteran with over 30 years of service to the uranium enrichment enterprise, Allen has been a member of the USEC team from day one. He handles a sometimes demanding job as budget manager with a cheerful, low-key approach that has made him a valued member of the USEC team. His generous spirit has made him even more valued as a member of our community.