The gifts support local efforts to make a
positive impact in communities across Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia
ATLANTA, Jan. 30,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company Gas and its
philanthropic arm, the Southern Company Gas Foundation, awarded
more than $11 million in financial
gifts last year to over 600 nonprofit organizations in communities
across the company's service territory.
Collectively these gifts positively impacted approximately 4.5
million people across Georgia,
Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia. Donations and grants were awarded to
nonprofits that aligned with the foundation's four strategic
priorities: social justice, economic mobility, environmental
stewardship and community enrichment.
"Investing in progress and opportunities to positively transform
and grow communities is central to our company," said James Y. (Jim) Kerr II, Southern Company Gas
chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We are
intentionally focused on initiatives that fuel possibilities and
advance opportunity for the betterment of those we serve. That's
why our company and foundation have directed more than $50 million in giving to communities throughout
our service areas since 2020."
Southern Company Gas, its family of local distribution companies
– Atlanta Gas Light, Chattanooga Gas, Nicor Gas and Virginia
Natural Gas – its marketing business Georgia Natural Gas, its
charitable foundation and its employees have collaborated with
community partners to address local challenges through charitable
giving and transformative volunteer experiences for more than 160
years and counting.
"We seek to be citizens where we live, work and serve. While
meaningful financial contributions are key to supporting community
efforts, our engagement stems beyond to include the time and talent
of our people. We partner with organizations to provide holistic
support to our communities, often driving programming, making
connections to resources and volunteering to support projects and
initiatives across our service footprint," said Serena Levy, Southern Company Gas Foundation
president and Southern Company Gas vice president of corporate
impact.
Major gifts included donations that aided justice-impacted
individuals successfully returning to society; supported workforce
development programs training people to work in needed, skill-based
jobs; grew reforestation of native species and conserved
environmentally fragile areas; funded scholarships for secondary
education and wrap-around programming for K-12 students; and
supported health and human services for those most in
need.
The foundation, the company and its employees also pledged
approximately $700,000 to United Way
and its affiliated local chapters. These contributions will help
combat food insecurity and provide access to critical resources
such as health and wellness, education and housing initiatives.
The company's employee resource groups also worked with Southern
Company Gas Foundation leadership to direct $100,000 to nonprofit organizations aligned with
their respective areas of focus in 2024. Furthermore, charitable
giving in 2024 was complemented by more than 900 employees
volunteering their time. From mid-November to mid-December alone,
company volunteers spent time at more than 50 events supporting
nonprofits to make the holiday season brighter for families in
need.
For more information on community initiatives across the
Southern Company Gas footprint, visit
southerncompanygas.com/communityengagement.
About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Atlanta-based Southern Company
(NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company. Southern Company
Gas serves approximately 4.4 million natural gas utility customers
through its regulated distribution companies in four states and
approximately 600,000 retail customers through its companies that
market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include
investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of
natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit
southerncompanygas.com.
About the Southern Company Gas Foundation
The Southern Company Gas Foundation and its six subsidiaries in
Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia are committed to supporting the
communities where Southern Company Gas employees live, work and
serve. Its mission is to advance social justice, enable economic
mobility, care for the environment and provide community
assistance. The foundation is a private, nonprofit organization
funded by an endowment from Southern Company Gas.
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SOURCE Southern Company Gas
