NAPERVILLE-Nicor Gas employees and their families will celebrate Nicor's 9th annual Volunteer Day by spending May 21 doing charitable tasks in 15 communities across northern Illinois.

More than 865 Nicor Gas employees, family members, friends and community volunteers will fan out across northern Illinois to complete 18 different community service projects ranging from river cleanup to planting flowers at nursing homes.

Nicor's Volunteer Day is an annual celebration of the company's year-round commitment to volunteerism. "What better way to celebrate than to give back to the communities we partner with throughout the year. Volunteer Day exemplifies the commitment Nicor and its employees have to the communities where we work and live," said Russ Strobel, Nicor President and Chief Executive Officer.

Volunteers will complete projects in the following communities:

Aurora - Nicor employees will roll up their sleeves to pitch in and beautify the Hesed House, a homeless shelter in Aurora. Volunteers will work on getting the grounds to look their best by cleaning up the landscaping and planting beautiful flowers.

Batavia - The volunteers will join forces with other community groups and help clean up the banks of the Fox River.

Bloomington - Nicor employees, along with the Kiwanis of Bloomington and the W.D. Boyce Boy Scouts of America, will join efforts to assist in cleanup projects at the homes of area senior citizens.

Brookfield Zoo - At this location, one group of Nicor volunteers will help prune away unwanted vegetation, while the other Nicor crew constructs behavior enrichment objects for the animals, out of paper mache.

DeKalb - Volunteers will sort and organize stacks of food donations at the DeKalb County Food Pantry.

Joliet - At Morning Star Mission, a shelter for the homeless, Nicor volunteers will organize food donated during recent community drives.

Markham - At Community Nutrition Network, Nicor volunteers will work indoors and outdoors cleaning the grounds, retiling the multipurpose room as well as painting the hallway and library walls.

Naperville - Nicor volunteers will tackle three different projects in Naperville. The Loaves and Fishes food pantry will receive some much-needed assistance from volunteers who will sort and organize food donations. A second group of volunteers will spiff up the DuPage Children's Museum by performing outdoor landscaping and maintenance on indoor exhibits. The third group of Nicor volunteers will head out to the Conservation Foundation's McDonald Farm to work on gardening and landscaping.

Palos Heights - Volunteers will spend their day improving the trails at Lake Katherine by laying wood chips and pulling weeds.

St. Charles - The Northern Illinois Food Bank will welcome Nicor volunteers to help sort food collected during recent community drives.

Sycamore - Nicor volunteers will spruce up the Pay It Forward facility by cleaning the outdoor area. Pay It Forward provides low-cost, temporary housing for friends and family members of patients at nearby Kindred Hospital.

Wilmington - Health, safety and energy inspections are on the agenda for this site. Nicor volunteers will partner with other community groups to perform outdoor cleanup and energy improvements at the homes of local senior citizens.

Woodstock - Nicor volunteers will plant flowers at Hearthstone Manor, a live-in facility for seniors, and perform general landscaping and building maintenance at the Adult and Child Rehab Center, a facility for emotionally and physically disabled adults and children.

Nicor and its employees have contributed more than $1.8 million to philanthropic efforts throughout Northern Illinois in 2004, and Nicor employees donate time and money to 825 worthy causes throughout the year.

Nicor Gas is one of the largest gas distribution companies in the nation and has provided safe, reliable, and cost-effective natural gas service for nearly 50 years. Nicor serves over two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of northern Illinois, excluding the City of Chicago. For more information on Nicor Gas, visit www.nicorgas.com.

NICOR Inc.

NICOR Inc.

Nicor Inc. (NYSE: GAS) is a holding company and is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Its primary business is Nicor Gas, one of the nation's largest natural gas distribution companies. Nicor owns Tropical Shipping, a containerized shipping business serving the Caribbean region and the Bahamas. In addition, the company owns and has an equity interest in several energy-related businesses.

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