CenterPoint Energy kicks off first Energy Games in Evansville

Kickball was the centerpiece, but the bigger story in Evansville was the way CenterPoint Energy used its first Energy Games to pull employees, children and club leaders onto the same field. Employees traded office time for a kickball tournament and bucket truck rides with the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville, turning a company outing into a hands-on day that mixed sports with mentoring.

The event was built around CenterPoint Energy Employee Resource Group C.A.R.E. and the Boys and Girls Club at 700 Bellemeade Ave. in Evansville. For the kids, the day was more than a quick game. It put them in the same space as CenterPoint employees, gave them a close look at utility work through the bucket trucks, and offered a sports setting that did not ask for much more than a ball, a base path and a little competition.

That setup fits the company’s broader Community Connect push in southwestern Indiana. CenterPoint said its 2026 program was expanded to bring customer support and engagement activities directly into neighborhoods, workplaces and community spaces, and the Energy Games tied that idea to a more visible, kid-friendly format. The company said the effort built on five Community Connect events it hosted in Rockport, Mt. Vernon, Evansville and Newburgh in November 2025.

CenterPoint also said those earlier Indiana events were staffed by more than 100 employee volunteers. Mike Roeder, CenterPoint Indiana president, has described the Community Connect events as a way to listen to feedback and meet customers where they are, and the Energy Games gave that idea a more casual setting than a standard service visit. The company’s 2026 Community Connect schedule also includes a July 15 stop with the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville at the same Bellemeade Avenue address, showing that this was part of an ongoing relationship, not a one-day drop-in.

The company’s charitable arm adds another layer to that picture. CenterPoint Energy Foundation says it focuses its grantmaking on Community Vitality and Education, and its Community Vitality work includes outdoor spaces and sustainability-related initiatives. Put together, the kickball field, the bucket truck rides and the youth partnership made the Energy Games a clear fit for a utility that wants to be seen less as a distant provider and more as a face in the neighborhood.