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March 6, 2007

Dominion East Ohio Distributes $100,000 In Community Impact Awards

CLEVELAND - Dominion East Ohio awarded $100,000 to nine community organizations today at its annual Community Impact Awards competition, co-sponsored by Dominion East Ohio and Inside Business Magazine.

A panel of community judges selected the winners from more than 70 entries submitted by organizations throughout northeast Ohio in the 12th annual competition. The award recognizes cities or organizations that have made a significant impact in the community. Funding for the awards comes from the Dominion Foundation, which is dedicated to the economic, physical and social health of the communities served by Dominion companies.

Community Impact Award winners include:

• Cleveland’s Burten, Bell, Carr Development received $20,000 for Arbor Park Place. Residents in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood no longer have to jump on a bus to shop or run errands. Thanks to Arbor Place, they now have access to safe and convenient shopping right in their neighborhood. The $6.2 million commercial redevelopment is the first retail development in the neighborhood in more than 40 years. This project has helped eradicate severe physical blight, deterred criminal activity, and has also encouraged other reinvestment in the neighborhood.
  
  
• Akron’s University Park Alliance was awarded $10,000 for its Community Outreach Partnership Center. The alliance took a blighted building and created the Center. It offers assistance to University Park residents and focuses on home ownership, fair housing and family literacy. The project involves more than 40 University of Akron faculty and staff, more than 15 community and faith-based organizations, and a group of more than 600 volunteers, many of whom are students.
  
  
• The City of Hubbard was awarded $10,000 for its Downtown Revitalization Project. Rejuvenating a downtown area these days is no easy task. But thanks to this group’s initiative and diligent efforts, downtown Hubbard has taken on a revitalized look that is paying huge dividends. Through the Hubbard Chamber of Commerce, Trumbull County Planning Commission and the City of Hubbard, a $400,000 Federal Ohio Small Cities Comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Block Grant was secured.  This grant provided the seed money for facade and site improvements to the downtown target area businesses.
  
  
• Crown Point Ecology Center received $10,000 for Summit County for Sustainable Agriculture Initiative.  Its mission is to show the practical applications of ecology and to connect social justice and environmental protection. The program connects food consumers to local farmers through the Community Supported Agriculture program, Community Food Shares program, a market stand at the Peninsula Countryside Farmers’ Market, and Apprentice Farmer Program. It also provides donations of certified organic produce to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. Throughout its history, the center has provided more than 121,000 meals for the needy in eight Ohio counties.
  
  
• Famicos Foundation, Cleveland, was awarded $10,000 for CLIMB, or “Computer Learning In My Backyard.”  CLIMB is a partnership program that teaches technology education to adults free of charge and encourages them to identify and take the next steps to reach personal and professional goals. It also bridges the “digital divide” and promotes continued education and social and economic revitalization in Cleveland through education. In its first year alone, 152 adults enrolled. Residents were forced to leave the neighborhood and pay fees for training classes prior to the program.
  
  
• Urban League of Greater Cleveland received $10,000 for its Multicultural Business Development Center. The organization encourages the development of small business by helping entrepreneurs with resources, counseling, and financial stability and growth.  The center has worked with 2,200 clients and has had economic impact of $12 million to $15 million through the creation of 29 new businesses since it opened.
  
  
• Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition was given $10,000 for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway. The Coalition is the organization responsible for the significant progress toward the preservation and development of the natural, cultural and recreational resources along more than 100 miles of the Heritage Canalway. The Canalway project draws more than three million visitors annually. It has spawned development along its entire 110-mile footprint. Working in partnership with private, local, state and federal agencies, more than $50 million has been invested in developing the Canalway.
  
  
• Glenville Development Corporation of Cleveland received $10,000 for CitiRama Glenville. It is Home Sweet Home for 11 families in the Glenville area. This project consisted of the construction of 11 single-family homes. It also included a community improvement campaign aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood and renewing a sense of pride in the homeowners in the surrounding area.
  
  
• St. Clair Superior Development Corporation of Cleveland was awarded $10,000 for “Year of the Dog.” Life-sized fiberglass dogs were designed and created by local artists and placed throughout the neighborhood for the public to enjoy. The purpose of the project was to raise awareness of the Asian cultures present within the St. Clair neighborhood, to support local artists and display their work, and to encourage economic development by drawing people into the neighborhood to experience its retail establishments and restaurants.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of about 28,000 megawatts of generation.  Dominion also serves retail energy customers in 11 states.  For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.