156 golden citizens receive the Electricity Bill Pay Award

The Golden Citizens Electricity Bill Pay Award – it’s an initiative put in place by B.E.L. in 2011 to benefit golden citizens all over the country. It all started with one act of kindness in the Customer Service section of the company, and from that came a program which really makes a big difference. The company selects awardees using very simple criteria – they must be sixty-five years or older, must be registered as a golden citizen with B.E.L., and must hold one active account billed under the Social Rate Category. Today News Five stopped by as golden citizens were hosted at B.E.L.’s office on the Phillip Goldson International Highway.

Celina Gill, Manager, Customer Care Department

“It was driven by our employees. About two years ago, it came to our attention that employees of the customer care department were assisting golden citizens that came up—whether be it that they needed to get their bills paid or alleviating them from not having to come all the way up here. We had a golden citizen come up who had been unable to pay his/her bill. And the employees on their own decided to pay that bill. Management and the company became aware of that and we decided that we would make this a bigger initiative and so it has moved on from there. We started in 2011 with a small group of about forty-two awardees and then we stepped back and reevaluated and we are proud to say that we tripled it. We are in the process of awarding a hundred and fifty-six golden citizens with a year of electricity.”

Mavis Cadle

Mavis Cadle, B.E.L. Golden Citizen

“I am very thankful to Belize Electricity Board for giving me this gift. This is not the first time; this is the second time. And I am grateful to god for giving them the privilege for having the gifts for us, all of us; not only me alone. And I am thankful for this gift. I will be eighty-seven years old tomorrow god willing. And I give god glory each day for each person.”

Mike Rudon

“So you got your birthday gift early from B.E.L.?”

Mavis Cadle

“Yes, one day early and I am thankful for that.”

Helen Kemp

Helen Kemp, B.E.L. Golden Citizen

“It is so appreciated that B.E.L. has treated me so good for the Christmas. They were so kind, they gave me a big box of groceries, they put in my light for free; I didn’t have no light. I used to pay a guy sixty dollars a month and B.E.L. came and run in all the wire, put in my light, give me groceries for Christmas and here I am with them again.”

Celina Gill

Celina Gill

“It is B.E.L.’s supporting employees first and foremost because this initiative came out from their generosity to our golden citizens. And so what we are doing is giving back to our customers. There is a cost, but it is insignificant; you can’t really put a value to that when it comes to what these golden citizens have done for us.”

The award means that those selected will pay nothing for electricity they use in the period January 2014 to December 2014.