April 29, 2003

Representing the best in volunteerism and commitment to his community, Canton resident Virlie Smith will be honored as one of Dominion's Volunteers of the Year for 2002.

Smith will be honored at Dominion's annual volunteer recognition ceremony today in Cleveland.

Smith, a Dominion East Ohio pipeline integrity analyst, was an integral part of developing a basic computer class for inner-city youth, through the Wells of Joy Youth Outreach. Smith says the reasons for his involvement as a volunteer, relate to his own youth. As a child, he says that there were many teachers, tutors and coaches that helped him, and so it's through his appreciation for volunteers, that he is giving back to his community and to humanity.

For being selected a "Volunteer of the Year," Smith's charity of choice, Wells of Joy Youth Outreach, will receive a $1,000 donation from Dominion. The outreach program is structured to help inner-city youth develop their academic skills.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a diversified and integrated energy portfolio that includes 24,000 megawatts of generation and 6.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves. Dominion also serves 5 million retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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