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
support@trueblueschools.com.
(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:
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- Georgia Natural Gas® started the
TrueBlue Schools™ Program in 2008. 2010 is the third school year
for the program.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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1. Pope High School
(Cobb County)
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$14,515
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2. Northwestern
Middle School (Fulton County)
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$11,590
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3. Christ the King
School (Fulton County)
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$9,300
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4. Norcross High
School (Gwinnett County)
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$8,520
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5. Blessed Trinity
Catholic High School (Fulton County)
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$8,105
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6. Morris Brandon
Elementary School (Fulton County)
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$8,095
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7. Level Creek
Elementary School (Gwinnett County)
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$7,420
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8. Cogburn Woods
Elementary School (Fulton County)
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$6,515
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9. Roswell High
School (Fulton County)
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$6,485
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10. Chattahoochee High
School (Fulton County)
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$6,380
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11. East Paulding High
School (Paulding County)
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$6,340
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12. West Forsyth High
School (Forsyth County)
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$6,305
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13. Mount Vernon
Presbyterian School (Fulton County)
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$5,905
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14. South Forsyth Middle
School (Forsyth County)
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$5,240
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15. Saint Joseph Catholic
School (Cobb County)
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$5,225
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16. Midvale Elementary
School (DeKalb County)
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$5,040
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17. Bullard Elementary
School (Cobb County)
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$4,975
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18. Trinity School (Fulton
County)
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$4,945
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19. Medlock Elementary
School (DeKalb County)
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$4,770
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20. Dunwoody High School
(DeKalb County)
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$4,730
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- TrueBlue Coordinators – The Key
Ingredient for TrueBlue Success!
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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.
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Quotes about TrueBlue
Schools:
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- "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.
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--Rick
Beaulieu, Principal
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Pope High
School
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- "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."
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--Dr. Grant
Rivera, Principal
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Campbell
High School
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- "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."
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--Catherine
Padgett, Teacher
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Ford
Elementary School
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- "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."
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--Angie
O'Farrell, PTA Vice President
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Level Creek
Elementary School
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- "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."
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--Marna
Friedman, TrueBlue Coordinator
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Pope High
School
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SOURCE Georgia Natural Gas