Nicor and Its Employees Make a Difference in Northern Illinois Communities Through Philanthropic Contributions of $1.7 Million in 2006

Published 03-22-07

Submitted by NICOR Inc.

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2007--Today Nicor announced its 2006 philanthropy efforts, which resulted in more than $1.7 million in corporate and employee donations - and countless volunteer hours - benefiting communities throughout northern Illinois.

"This accomplishment speaks to the strength of the Nicor family," said Julian Brown, Corporate Contributions Manager. "We contribute financially as well as physically to make a difference. We come together with paintbrushes, rakes, energy efficiency kits and our walking shoes to contribute to make a positive impact in the communities we serve."

In 2006, Nicor sponsored a new philanthropic program called Adventures in Reading with Nicor, designed to foster a lifelong love of reading among children by providing free books and motivational activities, along with professional development training for teachers and special coaching sessions for parents. In the fall of 2006, Adventures in Reading with Nicor kicked off with a visit from fictional superhero "Super Reader" at Cicero West and Sykuta Elementary Schools. Since then, the program, through its Super Reader scorecards, has encouraged students at these schools to read more than 33,000 books.

"Nicor employees are devoted to contributing to the well-being of our communities - at each Adventures in Reading with Nicor book distribution they volunteered their time to read to the children and help them select books. The employees are true superheroes to those who benefit from their generosity," said Claudia Colalillo, Senior Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy Nicor Inc. & Nicor Gas.

Each Adventures in Reading with Nicor school will receive three book distributions per academic year for three years. Over the next seven years, the program will distribute nearly 35,000 books to area schools. "Adventures in Reading with Nicor allows children - a community's most important resource - to become superheroes themselves," said Nicor's Brown.

Nicor and its employees also demonstrated their generosity throughout 2006 by giving back to the communities in which they live and serve in a variety of other ways:

The company celebrated a decade of volunteerism at Nicor's Volunteer Day, an annual celebration of a year-round commitment to volunteerism. In 2006, more than 1,000 employees and family members, along with community members and elected officials, participated in 22 projects in 20 northern Illinois communities - the most participants and projects in Nicor history. It has never rained on Nicor Volunteer Day - and 2006 was no exception!

The company and its employees joined forces and together they donated a total of $924,000 to the United Way's annual campaign. Nicor has ranked in the top 30 of Chicago corporate donors for the past 15 years.

More than 80 Nicor workers and family members braved a wet and windy day in their walking shoes for the annual March of Dimes WalkAmerica, which resulted in more than $22,776 in donations to help save babies.

Together Nicor Gas, its employees and customers helped keep people warm by contributing more than $411,794 to the Sharing Program, a home heating assistance program. Since the program's inception in 1983, the program has raised $12 million in assistance and helped 70,000 families who did not qualify for government assistance but needed help in paying their gas bills. More than 1,800 customers were assisted by this program in 2006.

Through Illinois Dollars for Scholars program, Nicor enabled 131 foundations to raise $1.1 million in scholarship grants for more than 700 college-bound students in 2006. Nicor is the founding sponsor of Illinois Dollars for Scholars and since 1997 has helped establish 150 local foundations throughout northern Illinois.

552 Nicor employees utilized the corporation's Matching Gifts program to generate a combined $109,605 in donations to support various local and national non-profit organizations.

Nicor is the founding sponsor of Community Resource Network's chicagovolunteer.net, a Web site that brings together volunteers with more than 3,300 volunteer opportunities posted each day. With Nicor's support, the Web site received more than 793,000 visits, a 243 percent increase over last year.

Nicor in support of its employee volunteer efforts gave more than $22,000 in Volunteer in Partnership grants. These grants support nonprofit organizations that have Nicor employees as volunteers.

"Philanthropy is at the heart of Nicor's mission and we are committed to building a better community though everyday acts of kindness. Nicor and its employees are dedicated to helping others and making a tangible difference in the communities we serve," said Colalillo.

To learn more about Nicor's philanthropic programs, visit www.nicor.com or contact Julian Brown, manager of corporate contributions at 630-388-2763.

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. For more information, visit the Nicor Web site at www.nicor.com.

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.

Nicor and Its Employees Make a Difference in Northern Illinois Communities Through Philanthropic Contributions of $1.7 Million in 2006

Nicor and Its Employees Make a Difference in Northern Illinois Communities Through Philanthropic Contributions of $1.7 Million in 2006

NICOR Inc.

NICOR Inc.

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