March 12, 2003

PITTSBURGH - Nazareth Housing Services, which provides senior homeowners with ways to improve and maintain their homes, has earned a $5,000 Community Impact Award, an award sponsored by Dominion Peoples.

In the eighth annual award competition, Dominion awarded $60,000 to eight winners selected by a panel of judges from 51 nominations submitted by organizations throughout western Pennsylvania. The award recognizes cities or community groups that have made a major impact in the community. Grant funds come from the Dominion Foundation.

The Senior Homeowner Assistance Program helps homeowners who lack funds for critical repairs, to "age in place" in their own homes. Some of the improvements include adding handrails, replacing unsafe steps, installing bathroom safety features and upgrading the electricity.

"We are proud of the outstanding efforts of all the people involved in these award-winning projects," said Jay L. Johnson, president and chief executive officer. "Their work goes a long way in revitalizing our communities and making them better places in which to live, work and play."

Other Community Impact Award winners include:

• Adams Memorial Library, for its weekly Bookmobile project that helps increase library circulation by the thousands every month.
• Conservation Consultants, Inc., for its Green Neighborhood Program, which provides energy efficiency and environmental education to targeted neighborhoods.
• Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition and Stream Restoration, Inc., for its environmental project at Goff station.
• Hosanna House, Inc., for its job training and job search classes program.
• Homeless Children's Education Fund for its Computer Learning Center project that ensures that homeless children have equal access to educational opportunities.
• Southwestern PA Human Services, Inc., for its Reed Avenue Place real estate project in Monessen.
• The Progress Fund's enterprise development project which targets rural Pennsylvania by increasing access to capital for owners of small businesses.
   

Dominion has a diversified and integrated energy portfolio consisting of about 24,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion also serves more than 3.8 million franchise natural gas and electric customers in five states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.
 

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