May 19, 2009

RICHMOND, Va. – Delivering meals to the elderly. Building schools and other facilities in Romania. Continuing the restoration of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Serving on a volunteer fire and rescue squad in rural Virginia.

In all of these examples, there was a need. In every instance, there was a Dominion employee willing to give of his or her time and money to make sure the need was met. Those examples are just a few of the services and acts of kindness performed by the 15 employees Dominion has honored as Volunteers of the Year for 2009. (> View videos.)

“On behalf of Dominion, I salute the commitment, energy and creativity of these members of the Dominion family who have shared their time and talents so generously with others,” said Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer.

For 25 years, Dominion has honored employees who give of their time to help their communities, the less fortunate, the disabled and strangers the world over. The 2009 Volunteers of the Year represent a continuation of the tradition of helping others.

Coming from six states, the honorees represent all of those in Dominion’s 18,000 person workforce who are compelled to help. This year’s honorees are:

• Walter E. Baker Jr. of Richmond, Va. Baker, a regulatory analyst, serves as a Meals on Wheels driver, delivery meals to home-bound seniors, those with disabilities and the economically disadvantaged. Baker’s other volunteer activities include participating in Dominion’s Lunch Buddies program, serving as a member of the construction committee at his church, and serving as president of his neighborhood civic association.
• Richard Desmond of Providence, R.I. Desmond, an engineer at the Manchester Street Power Station, serves as a volunteer voice with Audible Local Ledger (ALL) in Mashapee, Mass. He hosts a weekly radio program, reading local magazines, seasonal Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency preparedness information and other local issues.
• Dan Genest of Richmond, Va. Genest, one of the company’s media spokesmen in Richmond, volunteers for Project Healing Waters, which uses fly fishing as a way to help wounded soldiers recover from their injuries. Genest is a past president of the Fly Fishers of Virginia, the sponsor of Project Healing Waters at the McGuire Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Richmond and Fort Lee in Petersburg. Project Healing Waters helps soldiers deal with the trauma of their injuries by improving dexterity, increasing eye-hand coordination, instilling confidence and providing physical therapy in a non-traditional manner.
• James Horner of Somerset, Mass. Horner, who is employed at the Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, works with GROW Associates, of Avon, Mass., helping the agency increase the number of services it provides to an increasing number of adults with developmental disabilities. Horner serves as president of GROW’s board of directors and as chairman of the agency’s executive board.
• James McPherson of Chesapeake, Va. McPherson, a supervisor at the Chesapeake Energy Center, uses his vacation time and off hours to direct Project Romania, a mission project that has purchased land for use in Romania for facilities to care for children, the homeless and seniors.
• Edna Musser of Mineral, Va. Musser, a retiree from North Anna Power Station in Louisa County, contributes her time and talents to such organizations as Central Virginia Master Gardener Class, Friends of Lake Ann State Park, Habitat for Humanity in Louisa County, the March of Dimes’ annual “Walk America – March for Babies,” the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life,” the Louisa County Agricultural Fair and the Santa Council.
• Sherral Nelson of Norfolk, Va. Nelson, who works in the Customer Service Center, is a longtime member and officer with Altrusa International Inc. of Tidewater and other area organizations. Nelson has served the local Altrusa chapter in a variety of offices, including twice as president. Altrusa, founded in 1917, is an international network of executives and professionals whose purpose is to promote community service.
• Dean Obaugh of Richmond, Va. Obaugh, who is employed in the company’s real estate office, serves year-round with a wide variety of charitable organizations, including Meals on Wheels; the Richmond Lunch Buddy program; Boy Scouts of America; Christmas in April; American Heart Walk; Habitat for Humanity; the Angel Tree Program; and the Capital Area Agency on Aging’s Senior Connections Money Management Program.
• E. G. Pannell of Charlottesville, Va. Pannell, a lead lineman in the Charlottesville office, serves as a volunteer fire captain, church deacon and youth minister, community housing rehabilitation worker and athletic coach. Pannell has served the Rockfish Valley Fire and Rescue Squad for 25 years and is currently the captain. As a member and deacon of Hebron Baptist Church in Afton, Va., Pannell leads the church’s Youth Outreach Bible teaching and study program.
• Gary Penny of North Canton, Ohio. Penney, a manager for Dominion East Ohio, is a long-time member and officer of the Kidney Foundation of Ohio. Penny chairs the group’s Development Committee, which is responsible for raising about $400,000 annually to support various Kidney Foundation programs. He also has played a key role in the growth and development of the Howard Street Corridor Committee, which promotes redevelopment of an historical area north of downtown Akron, Ohio.
• Linda Rinehart of Morgantown, W.Va. Rinehart, an administrative assistant at the Morgantown Energy Associates power station in Morgantown, serves as Morgantown Area coordinator with Operation Christmas Child, which collects and distributes shoeboxes full of gifts for needy children all over the world. Rinehart and her fellow volunteers processed more than 92,000 shoeboxes of gifts from West Virginia donors last year.
• Duane Schoenhardt of Woodbridge, Va. Schoenhardt, a lead project design coordinator in the Woodbridge office, is a longtime adult leader with area Boy Scout and Girl Scout units. In 10 years he helped guide 25 scouts, including his son, to Eagle rank. He also has served as an adult leader for his daughter’s Girl Scout Troop, where he has helped guide his daughter and other troop members to achieve their Gold Awards, the Girl Scouts’ Eagle rank equivalent.
• David C. Williams, Jr. of Clover, Va. Williams, a supervisor at the Clover Power Station in Halifax County, works with local and national Southern Baptist relief organizations. Williams travelled in 2008 to New Orleans with his local church group to continue recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina. Williams and fellow volunteers later returned to Louisiana and then went to Texas to cook and distribute thousands of meals at a time for disaster victims and relief workers who were helping victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
• Joel Williams of Surry, Va. Williams, a supervisor at Surry Power Station in Virginia, organized and led a team of fellow employees to restore and improve SkyAnchor, a disability awareness campground in Surry County. SkyAnchor helps increase awareness among able-bodied people of the daily challenges facing disabled individuals. Thanks to his volunteer leadership, many groups of adults and children are now able to use the facility, including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and church groups.
• Bill Wright of Greensburg, Pa. Wright, a safety and training specialist, is a 32-year firefighter and officer with the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department. Wright also joined the Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Response Team in 1984. He became assistant chief in 1988 and chief in 1994. The HAZMAT unit provides specialized services to the county’s 122 fire departments.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of more than 27,400 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.

SOURCE: Dominion

Web site: http://www.dom.com/