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Entergy and Local Low-Income Advocates Prepare for 4th Annual Summit Utility To Meet With Advocates for the Poor and Elderly to Seek Common Ground

Entergy and Local Low-Income Advocates Prepare for 4th Annual Summit Utility To Meet With Advocates for the Poor and Elderly to Seek Common Ground

Published 11-06-02

Submitted by Entergy Corporation

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana. - Entergy Corporation and more than 200 advocates for the poor and elderly in the region are preparing to meet for the Low-Income Customer Assistance Summit this week.

Executives from the utility and the advocates - including members of the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Total Community Action, Inc. and Council on Aging - will travel to Beaumont, Texas to work on issues and programs that impact the poor in Entergy's service area. The 2002 Summit is the fourth such meeting sponsored by Entergy and serves as a forum for national and regional low-income experts and advocates to identify options and programs for helping the poor.

Previous summits have led to changes in the way the company collects payment from its customers and to Entergy's commitment of millions of dollars for low-income programs.

Entergy committed $5 million to low-income programs in 2001.

"Eliminating poverty in this country is a war, not a battle. A war we cannot win overnight nor without everyone's commitment. Like in any war, eliminating the causes such as poor educational opportunities and the lack of health care is not enough. We must also care for the wounded - the existing poor - while we work to solve the root causes so another generation does not fall into the bottomless pit of poverty that we have allowed to exist for too long," said Wayne Leonard, Entergy's chief executive officer. "This summit is one of the many steps we are taking at Entergy to help mobilize those already committed to the fight and to raise the conscience of others to join the fight."

Across Entergy's four-state utility system, almost one-quarter of all households have incomes that fall below the poverty level. Entergy hosts the summit as a part of the company's commitment to building better communities and enhancing customer satisfaction and customer service.

In 1999, Entergy became the first U.S. utility to bring together a diverse group of national, regional, and local institutions from a multi-state area to address the needs of our system's low-income population. Two years ago in Jackson, Mississippi, Entergy unveiled the Entergy Charitable Foundation, a new non-profit dedicated primarily to assisting other charitable institutions that focus on low-income initiatives, education and literacy programs throughout the company's service territory. In 2001, Entergy contributed $2.9 million in 266 grants to

228 organizations. In 2002, Entergy contributed $3.4 million to 322 low-income organizations.

Entergy works on the national level to fight for the poor. Mr. Leonard was honored for his efforts by the National Fuel Funds Network earlier this year and recently wrote for a national periodical detailing the need to help people living in poverty. To read that article entitled The Most Important Customer, visit the company's web site at www.entergy.com.

Entergy Corporation, with annual revenues of more than $10 billion, is a major global energy company engaged in power production, distribution operations, and related diversified services, with more than 15,000 employees. Entergy owns, manages, or invests in power plants generating more than 30,000 megawatts of electricity domestically and internationally, and delivers electricity to about 2.6 million customers in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Through Entergy-Koch, L.P., it is also a leading provider of wholesale energy marketing and trading services.

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Entergy Corporation

Entergy Corporation

Entergy is a Fortune 500 company that powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. Learn more at entergy.com and follow @Entergy on social media. #WePowerLife

Corporate Social Responsibility at Entergy

For more than 100 years, Entergy has powered life in our communities through strategic philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy’s corporate social responsibility initiatives help create and sustain thriving communities, position the company for sustainable growth and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our top CSR priorities are education/workforce development, poverty solutions/social services and environmental programs. Entergy annually contributes $16-$18 million in shareholder-funded grants to approximately 2,000 nonprofit organizations in the communities where we operate. In addition, our employees volunteer more than 100,000 hours in those communities' values at more than $3 million.

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