Renowned Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award Comes to Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to help recognize Pittsburgh's amazing volunteer spirit, Direct Energy and Trib Total Media are proud to announce the launch of the first ever Pittsburgh Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award. Nominations are now being accepted and will close Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at midnight.

The Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award program is designed to recognize the significant efforts of individuals whose contributions make their communities a better place to live. As an extension of an existing Direct Energy program that encourages employees to volunteer their time and energy to causes or organizations in their local communities, the Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award honors those individuals outside of the company who do just that.

First introduced in Alberta, Canada in 2005, the Volunteer Citizen of the Year award has been honoring volunteerism for six successful years. Additionally, a Junior Citizen of the Year was launched in Ontario in 2009, allowing for recognition of youth ages 6 to 17. Direct Energy expanded its Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award program to the United States in Cleveland two years ago. It has now partnered with Trib Total Media to bring this worthy award to the city of Pittsburgh.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to join hands with Trib Total Media to bring this wonderful award program to our city," said Cory Byzewski, Vice President and General Manager for Direct Energy. "There are so many admirable volunteers who devote their time for the greater good of Pittsburgh so we are looking forward to being able to recognize their devotion and selflessness. I'd encourage everyone to take some time and nominate an outstanding volunteer to help us in search of the first Pittsburgh Volunteer Citizen of the Year."

The award itself consists of:

• $1,000 cash prize to the winner
• $5,000 cash grant to the winner's organization/cause of choice in their respective community
• recognition of the winner's achievement through a commemorative award, article and photo to be published in all Trib Total Media newspapers

The Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award is open to residents of the Greater Pittsburgh area communities served by the any of the Trib Total Media newspapers. Individuals can either nominate themselves or be nominated by another individual or group. Nominations should be no longer than 750 words and must detail the specific contributions the individual or group has made to improve the community through volunteer service. The nomination must also profile the designated organization and how it would use the $5,000 donation from Direct Energy.

"Trib Total Media is proud to partner with Direct Energy on such a great program. Volunteers are unsung heroes and we are honored to be able to give something back to people who give so much of their lives for the greater good of others," said Lindsay Berdell, Director for Promotions and Marketing at Trib Total Media.

Nominations must be submitted by Sunday, January 8th at midnight. A selection committee from Direct Energy and Trib Total Media will review the submissions, and the winner will be announced in January in all Trib Total Media newspapers.

Complete rules, nomination form and other information are available online at http://www2.directenergy.com/vcoy-pittsburgh/ or http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/citizenoftheyear/.

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 45 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada.

About Trib Total Media

Trib Total Media is a multimedia network of daily and weekly newspapers, weekly shoppers, and websites delivering news, information and advertising to over 1.2 million readers across Western Pennsylvania every week. Trib Total Media also provides targeted direct mail, commercial printing and promotional item services. Visit online at www.tribtotalmedia.com and see what's next. 

SOURCE Direct Energy