Each year, Georgia Power honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to transform communities through volunteering by engaging more than 1,000 employees in community service projects across the state on the MLK Day of Service. The annual event is the company's largest single day of service rallying employees throughout the company around Georgia Power's century-old mission to "be a citizen wherever we serve."

Since 2005, more than 11,000 Georgia Power employees have volunteered for approximately 525 individual MLK Day of Service projects, totaling more than 46,000 service hours. These volunteer efforts equate to nearly $1 million in estimated hourly service value.

"The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday commemorates the legacy of an exemplary leader who, even today, reminds us that every community matters," said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power. "I am proud of our team for putting service before self and honoring Dr. King with a day 'on,' not 'off' to improve the lives of others and strengthen our local communities."

Georgia Power service events are highly localized with employees volunteering at nearly 50 events for a variety of causes and organizations in dozens of Georgia cities and towns. 2017 events include:

• Assisting the Atlanta Police Foundation in a field day event for Atlanta's youth at the Georgia Dome (Atlanta)

• Landscaping and yard work at Lydia Project House (Augusta)

• Cleaning refrigerators, cabinets and ripping up carpet at Liberty House of Albany (Albany)

• Planting 30,000 daffodils at the Loop 10/Prince Ave exit ramp at Lay Park (Athens)

• Cleaning, sorting and organizing donations at the Statesboro Food Bank (Statesboro)