811 Day Provides Education for the Next Generation

Members of Colonial’s Operations, Right of Way, Projects, and Safety teams celebrated our partnership with the Discovery Place museum system by participating in a National 811 Day event in Huntersville, North Carolina.
In cooperation with North and South Carolina 811, the teams set up exhibits and staffed education booths focused on safe digging at Discovery Place Kids. More than 200 children and their families had the chance to operate a mini-excavator, dig in a sandbox to discover “what’s underground,” and learn more about the importance of calling 811.
“Partnering with you all on 811 Day allowed us to team up on teaching our youngest citizens what’s in the ground, from rocks and worms to things we put there like utility lines,” said Sarah Bordy, Chief Advancement Officer at Discovery Place.
Colonial’s partnership with the Charlotte-area museum system began in 2022. Teams set up displays in the kids museum’s outside garden that will be developed into a year-round exhibit as part of the partnership.
“It’s all about getting the safety message out,” Colonial’s Charlotte Operations Manager Jeff Titus said. “If we can get a few kids to remind their parents to call 811 before starting a home project, that’s a success for us today.”
In addition to informing community members about safe digging, several Colonial employees took the opportunity to share 811 Day with their children.
“The kids really had fun while learning. The excavator was the best,” said Right of Way Inspector Justin Gonzalez, who had the chance to operate the exhibit with his daughter Valerie. “It’s great that we could all come together and do this for the kids.”