Georgia Natural Gas® TrueBlue Schools™ Program Tops $550,000 in Donations to Georgia Schools

GNG quickly moving toward $2 million goal for Georgia schools

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Nov 08, 2010, 11:00 ET

ATLANTA, Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Natural Gas® (GNG), Georgia's leading natural gas provider, announced today that it has donated more than $550,000 to Georgia schools as a result of its successful TrueBlue Schools™ fundraising program. GNG plans to donate $2 million to Georgia schools through the program.

Now in its third year, TrueBlue Schools™ was created by GNG to help support schools throughout Georgia. When a consumer becomes a customer of GNG and elects to participate in the program, a $5 donation is made to the school of his or her choice every month. TrueBlue dollars are being used to pay for books, art supplies, music programs, field trips, sports equipment, playgrounds, scholarships, classroom technology – anything a school needs. Currently, 857 of the 2,326 schools in the GNG service area earn TrueBlue Schools™ donations.

"True Blue Schools™ is a great way for GNG to show its support for Georgia schools, and we are particularly proud of the $550,000 this innovative program already has provided to schools," said GNG CEO Mike Braswell. "The best part is the program's simplicity – just sign up with GNG, and we send checks to your school every quarter."

With this program, a school doesn't have to commit to a time-consuming fundraising project. There are no order forms, no inventory to manage and no monies to collect. All public and private elementary, middle and high schools in GNG's service area are included in the program, and any natural gas consumer who chooses GNG can participate. The more people who sign up with GNG and select a school, the more money the school receives. Once participants sign up at TrueBlueSchools.com, donations are automatic to the school. Current GNG customers also are eligible to participate.

"We are excited about what the success of this program in just two years means for our schools," said Braswell. "Making a difference in children's lives is one of our key community goals. That's why we are committed to raising $2 million through TrueBlue Schools™ to support education in Georgia."

To join TrueBlue Schools™ or learn more about the program, visit TrueBlueSchools.com or contact GNG by e-mail at [email protected].

(See attached fact sheet for top TBS school donations and quotes from participants.)

About Georgia Natural Gas Georgia Natural Gas a division of SouthStar Energy Services, a preeminent retail natural gas marketing company operating in seven states. Based in Atlanta, SouthStar is a joint venture between AGL Resources, Inc., (NYSE: AGL) and Piedmont Natural Gas Co. (NYSE: PNY). In addition to operating in Georgia as Georgia Natural Gas, SouthStar also does business in the Carolinas as Piedmont Energy Company, in Ohio as Ohio Natural Gas, in Florida as Florida Natural Gas, and in other parts of the Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services. For more information: www.onlygng.com.

TrueBlue Fast Facts:
Georgia Natural Gas® started the TrueBlue Schools™ Program in 2008. 2010 is the third school year for the program.

As of Oct. 15, 2010, a total of 857 schools have earned TBS donations out of the possible 2,326 schools that are located in GNG's service area.

Here is a list of the top 20 participating schools as of the Oct. 2010 payout. These donation amounts are cumulative since the program began.

	1. Pope High School (Cobb County)	$14,515
	2. Northwestern Middle School (Fulton County)	$11,590
	3. Christ the King School (Fulton County)	$9,300
	4. Norcross High School (Gwinnett County)	$8,520
	5. Blessed Trinity Catholic High School (Fulton County)	$8,105
	6. Morris Brandon Elementary School (Fulton County)	$8,095
	7. Level Creek Elementary School (Gwinnett County)	$7,420
	8. Cogburn Woods Elementary School (Fulton County)	$6,515
	9. Roswell High School (Fulton County)	$6,485
	10. Chattahoochee High School (Fulton County)	$6,380
	11. East Paulding High School (Paulding County)	$6,340
	12. West Forsyth High School (Forsyth County)	$6,305
	13. Mount Vernon Presbyterian School (Fulton County)	$5,905
	14. South Forsyth Middle School (Forsyth County)	$5,240
	15. Saint Joseph Catholic School (Cobb County)	$5,225
	16. Midvale Elementary School (DeKalb County)	$5,040
	17. Bullard Elementary School (Cobb County)	$4,975
	18. Trinity School (Fulton County)	$4,945
	19. Medlock Elementary School (DeKalb County)	$4,770
	20. Dunwoody High School (DeKalb County)	$4,730

TrueBlue Coordinators – The Key Ingredient for TrueBlue Success!
	TrueBlue Coordinators (TBCs) are the "heart" of the TrueBlue Schools program. Coordinators market the programs to their school and community. GNG provides them with "TrueBlue" tools they need to launch the program, including a TrueBlue Coordinator Kit and online tools at TrueBlueSchools.com. Currently there are more than 500 TrueBlue coordinators.

Quotes about TrueBlue Schools:
"TrueBlue Schools is without a doubt one of the best programs we've ever been involved with. It's a program our parents and community feel good about supporting because it provides our school with ongoing funding.
	*--Rick Beaulieu, Principal*
	*Pope High School*

"TrueBlue Schools is the kind of fundraising program we like to get behind. It requires very little effort to manage and helps schools reach financial goals quickly. Students, teachers, and parents get excited to help promote TrueBlue Schools, because the funds go directly to activities they care about."
	*--Dr. Grant Rivera, Principal*
	*Campbell High School*

"At Ford Elementary, our vision is to create a community with a passion for lifelong learning. TrueBlue Schools is helping us achieve that goal. The program is the perfect blend of raising money for our school and teaching kids about the community and the environment. Plus, it's so easy to participate and it only takes a minute to get involved."
	*--Catherine Padgett, Teacher*
	*Ford Elementary School*

"Signing up for the Georgia Natural Gas TrueBlue Schools program was a no brainer. I can't believe that more people don't take advantage of it. It doesn't cost them anything except a minute of their time."
	*--Angie O'Farrell, PTA Vice President*
	*Level Creek Elementary School*

"The coordinator tools on the TrueBlue Schools website make this program so easy to manage. I just log on to the site and in a few minutes I can see our school's progress as well as get ideas to create my own flyer and emails. Using the ideas from the website has allowed us to easily communicate with our parent community – and that has certainly helped Pope High School earn more than $14,000."
	*--Marna Friedman, TrueBlue Coordinator*
	*Pope High School*