Georgia Natural Gas® Recognizes 13 Georgia Nonprofits with TrueBlue Community Awards Grants Totaling $50,000

ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Natural Gas® (GNG), Georgia's leading natural gas provider, announced today that it has awarded $50,000 in grants to 13 Georgia nonprofit organizations, with Prevent Blindness Georgia (PBGA) receiving the top grant of $10,000. The award-winning nonprofit organizations exemplify GNG's commitment and support for children, education, seniors, energy assistance, and environmental sustainability in Georgia.

The $10,000 grant will support PBGA's Georgia Retinal Imaging Project (GRIP) that provides free screenings to seniors at risk of aging eye diseases and brings them to treatment before more serious vision loss occurs.

"GNG is proud to recognize and support Prevent Blindness Georgia and these other outstanding community organizations for the great work they do to make Georgia a better place to live," said GNG President and CEO Mike Braswell. "We hope that these grants help them continue their mission, and we applaud all of the applicants on their commitment and dedication to Georgia's citizens."

GNG has supported nonprofit organizations in Georgia communities for nearly a decade, both financially and through its award-winning employee volunteer program. This is the inaugural year for GNG's TrueBlue Community Awards. "All of the nonprofits that we honored with these grants are very deserving of their TrueBlue Community Awards," says Maurice Baker, manager of community relations at Georgia Natural Gas. "PBGA's work with our state's seniors is exemplary and helps to prevent unnecessary vision loss. The independent panel of judges made great selections."

More than 100 applications were received from nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Entry finalists and winners were selected by an independent cross-section of civic leaders.

In addition to PBGA, the other award winners are:

Blue Flame Awards (Four $5,000 winners)
Friend's House (McDonough)  
House Proud/ Atlanta Community ToolBank (Atlanta)
North Fulton Community Charities (Roswell)  
Senior Connections (Atlanta)

Natural Leader Awards (Eight $2,500 Winners)
Auditory Verbal Center (Atlanta)
Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. (Atlanta)
Economic Opportunity Authority/Foster Grandparents (Savannah)
Families First (Atlanta)

Glynn Environmental Coalition (Brunswick)  
HOPE Atlanta (Atlanta)
Resource Service Ministries (Atlanta)
WIT Foundation/Women in Technology (Atlanta)

The TrueBlue Community Awards were presented on Wednesday, October 26, at a special reception in the Georgian Ballroom of the Biltmore building, which is home to GNG headquarters in Atlanta.  The reception and awards ceremony were emceed by WXIA-TV's Karyn Greer.

About Georgia Natural Gas

Georgia Natural Gas is part of SouthStar Energy Services, a preeminent retail natural gas marketing company. Based in Atlanta, SouthStar is a joint venture between AGL Resources, Inc., and Piedmont Natural Gas Co. 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, in New York as New York Natural Gas, in Maryland as Maryland Energy and in other parts of the Southeast as SouthStar Energy Services.  For more information: www.onlygng.com.

SOURCE Georgia Natural Gas