WISE, Va. – The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources, today presented a $25,000 donation to Mountain Empire Older Citizens emergency fuel fund for the elderly.

The gift was presented to MEOC Executive Director Marilyn Pace Maxwell after the annual Southwest Virginia state legislative delegation breakfast sponsored by Southwest Virginia Chambers of Commerce at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

“This gift came at a critical time and is meeting a great need,” Maxwell said. Because of the continuing troubled economy, the fuel fund is seeing more requests for assistance, she said.

Maxwell said her organization, which serves as the state’s Area Agency on Aging for Lee, Scott and Wise counties and the City of Norton, was concerned when its annual fund-raising walkathon came up short of its goal this year. “Now, with this donation from Dominion, we have exceeded this goal,” she said.

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest energy producers and parent of Dominion Virginia Power, which is building the 585-megawatt Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center at St. Paul in Wise County. Also, Dominion, along with its partner BP Wind Energy, has begun developing wind energy projects in Wise and Tazewell counties that could generate up to 250 megawatts of renewable energy.

“Dominion is pleased to be able to continue its support for Mountain Empire Older Citizens’ fuel fund and help prevent elderly citizens in need from having to choose between heating their homes or paying for food and medicine,” said Robert M. Blue, Dominion senior vice president for Public Policy & Corporate Communication. Blue presented the gift to Maxwell. Dominion also contributed $25,000 to the MEOC fuel fund in 2008 and was a walkathon sponsor in 2007.

Dominion donated $6 million for emergency energy assistance in places it does business in 2008, including $5.5 million to more than 18,000 families in Virginia and North Carolina to help in paying heating and cooling bills through Dominion’s EnergyShare program. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.

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