We love lineworkers all year long, but each April, or July for some union shops, offers a special day to focus on the men and women who connect our lives.

Since Congress designated April 18, 2013, as National Lineman Appreciation Day, utilities across the nation take time to #ThankaLineworker. Resolutions have been introduced in Congress to set a firm annual date, but no action has been taken. Many utilities plan lineworker celebrations throughout the month of April.

Looking for ways to celebrate your line crews? Start brainstorming with these ideas:

1. Write a news release highlighting the men and women who connect your community to broadband, telephone and electric service.

Highlight the number of miles of line maintained and the fact that line crews are always on call. Include quotes from longtime lineworkers, a lineworker you’ve recruited in the last year or so and mention any lineworker scholarships offered in your community.

2. Show and tell your story.

Have a chamber of commerce, Lions, Rotary or Kiwanis event in April? Offer to bring a line crew to the event to talk about life on the line, and let community members try out the gear.

3. Host a “Lineman for a Day” event at your utility.

Your audience could either be staff members (here’s an example from Kentucky’s Electric Cooperatives) or high school students, as Community Electric Co-op does each year (read the story here).

4. Surprise snacks!

Add fun to the day by surprising crews with a paper bag packed with fresh fruit, energy bars and/or drinks and a thank-you card signed by staff members. If you have the budget, include a $10 gift card for lunch at a local restaurant.

5. Ask consumer-members to say thank you.

If there’s one group you can be sure garners community love, it’s lineworkers. We’ve seen folks ask for lineworker valentine cards. Why not invite local schools to make cards for Lineworker Appreciation Day, too? If you want to make it even easier for community members to send love, consider creating a web page with a form for anyone who wants to give lineworkers thanks. Here’s an example from Alabama Power, an investor-owned utility. Surely we can do this, too!

6. Host a Line Life Photo Contest.

Lineworkers have a unique point of view. Odds are your crews post plenty of pictures of line life to their social channels. Use a photo contest, complete with prizes or gift cards from local shops, to ask them to share their favorite work-related pictures. Showcase submissions on your social channels in April, then have members vote for the winners. Use hashtags #LineLife and #ThankaLineworker to tie the contest to your other celebration plans.

Free Social Content

Pioneer Social subscribers get industry-related campaigns throughout the year. To help you mark Lineworker Appreciation Day — and celebrate the heroic work they do in our communities — we’re sharing superhero-themed resources with our broader membership!

This year we’ve got three videos and suggested text you can use on social media. (Click the image below or the button to download.)

Learn more about Pioneer Social and our TwoFourSeven support at pioneer.coop/social.

Share Your Ideas

We’d love to let other utility communicators hear about your lineworker celebration plans! Share ideas below or email them to hello@pioneer.coop.