Published: December 27, 2018 |

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Katie Sweppy and Criss Eyer employees at Peabody Coal’s Bear Run Mine in Carlisle, carry in bags of presents for students.
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Sixty-eight children will receive not only what they want this Christmas, but what they need, thanks to employees at Peabody Coal’s Bear Run Mine in Carlisle.

On Tuesday, employees delivered gifts for 68 local children as part of the mine’s annual Coal Miner Christmas.

“We do it to show there’s still good in the world,” said Katie Sweepy of Peabody Energy. “There is a need, and we have the ability to help, and we like to do that.”

Bikes, clothing, shoes and toys were among the items delivered to the school to be transferred later to parents who can place the items under their family Christmas tree.

At North Central High School near Farmersburg, four students were selected after school secretary Teresa Hardin contacted teachers to identify students in need. The selection process is confidential, Hardin said. The high school has about 300 students in grades 9 to 12.

“You don’t always know there’s a need out there because the kids are good at hiding it,” Hardin said.

Bear Run Mine employees look forward to the annual project and participate in fundraisers, raffles, dinners and make donations. Six teams of employees were making the rounds to 12 schools to deliver the Christmas gifts.

For 12 years, Peabody employees have raised more than $100,000 to buy Christmas gifts for 650 children, Sweppy said.

The Bear Run Min was nationally recognized this year for its generosity to the community by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, which awarded a 2018 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Good Neighbor Award.

Source: Tribune Star

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