Georgia Natural Gas to donate $1 million for weatherizing homes of
low-income seniors…Additional
$100,000 will fund energy education program
ATLANTA,/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia
Natural Gas (GNG), Georgia's leading natural gas provider, announces
a plan to donate $1.1 million for a major initiative to help
Atlanta-area low-income senior citizens weatherize their homes and
to educate consumers statewide about energy conservation.
Four Atlanta-area nonprofit
organizations and community action agencies will be given donations
totaling $1 million to provide weatherization services for their
clients. The following organizations, which already have
weatherization programs in place, will receive the funds during
2006:
- Southeast Energy Assistance,
Inc. $ 300,000
Provides direct assistance to
improve the living and housing conditions of low-income families
through conservation programs; has served metropolitan Atlanta's
low-income community since 1978.
www.southeastenergy.org
- Partnership for Community
Action, Inc. $ 300,000
Founded in 1966 to work for
social change through community-based partnerships and advocacy
programs that lead to family self-sufficiency in DeKalb, Rockdale and
Gwinnett counties.
www.pcaction.org
- Clayton County Community
Services Authority, Inc. $ 200,000
Provides weatherization
services to seniors, low-income families and individuals with disabilities
in Clayton, Henry and Fayette counties; provides essential services
that improve the quality of life and leadto self-sufficiency and
responsible community involvement.
www.claytoncountycsa.org
- Resource Service Ministries,
Inc. $ 200,000
Was founded in 1984 to meet
the needs of Georgia widows for home repairs and weatherization;
has weatherized more than 900 homes, helping low-income metro
Atlanta homeowners save 30-35 percent in energy costs.
www.rsmin.org
"These organizations face enormous
financial challenges to meet the needs of low-income senior
citizens," said GNG President Michael Braswell. "We are pleased to
partner with them this year to weatherize more than 350 homes of
senior citizens. GNG continues to be committed to helping seniors
not only through philanthropy but also through our special
discounted price plan for low-income senior citizens."
In addition to its weatherization
initiative, GNG will donate $100,000 to the Heating Energy
Assistance Team (H.E.A.T.), the state's oldest energy assistance
fund. Since 1983 H.E.A.T. has distributed more than $15.5 million to
nearly 78,000 Georgia households. The GNG donation specifically will
fund statewide energy conservation education through print and
broadcast materials produced by H.E.A.T. (www.heatga.org)
"We have partnered with H.E.A.T.
for more than five years, providing them $1.8 million in direct
financial support and encouraging our customers to donate, as well,"
said Braswell. "H.E.A.T. will do an excellent job of ensuring that
consumers throughout the state understand the importance of energy
conservation -- and the low-cost and no-cost steps they can take to
save on energy costs."
Georgia Natural Gas is a national
leader in corporate community service programs. In the three years
since GNG implemented its community service program, the company and
its employees have made a tremendous difference in the lives of
children and senior citizens through volunteerism and corporate
contributions.
"GNG is very proud of its role in
the Georgia community," said Braswell. "Our customers have made us
the state's leading natural gas company, and we believe that our
leadership should extend to every facet of Georgia life."
About Georgia Natural Gas
Georgia Natural Gas is the state's
leading natural gas provider, serving more than a half-million
customers throughout Georgia. GNG is part of SouthStar Energy
Services, a Georgia-based joint venture between AGL Resources and
Piedmont Natural Gas. SouthStar operates in other parts of the
Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services and Piedmont Energy Company.
For more information: www.onlygng.com .