Community Presence

Dominion's Community Affairs and Philanthropy: Serving Community Needs through Diverse Partnerships

Dominion serves communities from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to New England and the Great Lakes. Each community has specific priorities and needs and Dominion's Community Affairs and Philanthropy staff and the Dominion Foundation strive to work together to form effective partnerships to help meet those needs. Listed below are samples of outreach programs.

Minority Partnerships

To better understand and respond to its minority customers' needs, the company has established relationships with minority organizations in states where we operate and will continue to strengthen and expand these partnerships in other areas. Some of these partnerships include the NAACP, Urban Leagues, Hispanic Associations, Asian American Society and Associations of Area Agencies on Aging.

• Strong Men and Women: Excellence in Leadership is a series of educational materials highlighting the achievements of contemporary outstanding African American men and women.
  
• Dominion Diversity Calendar promotes greater knowledge of multicultural diversity. The on-line calendar features events and celebrations from different cultures, and highlights the many cultures of Dominion employees.
  
• EnergyShare is the company's fuel assistance program. It's a heating and cooling assistance program in Virginia, and a heating assistance program in North Carolina and Ohio. Heating assistance applies to any heat source - oil, gas, kerosene, wood and electricity. The program provides a one-time payment of last resort for those who have exhausted other forms of assistance or who do not qualify for such help.
  
  EnergyShare Weatherization Pilot - A component of Dominion's EnergyShare program, the EnergyShare Weatherization Program was implemented in 2006 as a pilot program in Petersburg, Virginia, and expanded to include Arlington, Virginia, in 2007.
  
• Fan Care is a public-private partnership administered by the Virginia Department for the Aging that helps low-income older citizens in Virginia keep cool during summer months. Dominion is the primary sponsor, and Wal-Mart is the exclusive retailer providing fans to local Area Agencies on Aging at a discounted rate. The discount enables more seniors to be served by the program.
  
• Dominion employee volunteers live and work in the communities that Dominion serves, and they are acutely aware of local needs. They organize projects to mentor at-risk children, build and weatherize homes for those living in poverty, cleanup local and state parks, and a host of other activities. Volunteers participate in a number of strategic partnerships that focus on diversity.
  
• The Dominion Foundation invests in organizations and programs that improve the quality of life in those communities in which the company provides electricity or natural gas service, or has significant facilities and business interests. The company contributes more than $20 million annually to these nonprofit organizations, primarily through the Dominion Foundation.