AEP and our employees believe that the United Way and associated agencies are first-line partners in meeting basic human needs of a broad spectrum of community residents. AEP employees stepped up in 2010 to pledge more than $2 million to United Ways and similar organizations across our 11-state service territory. The company provided just over $1 million in matching funds to help meet critical needs

AEP Ohio in 2010 rolled out the Putting Ohioans to Work for Economic Recovery (POWER) program to provide cash grants to fund workforce development projects targeting low-income Ohioans. The program is aimed at people new to the workforce, displaced workers, underemployed workers and women and minorities seeking to upgrade their skills. POWER is part of AEP Ohio’s three-year, $15 million Partnership with Ohio initiative, and includes competitive grants of up to $100,000 for workforce development through boards of county commissioners and scholarships totaling $225,000 to nine Ohio two-year community and technical colleges.

Each of AEP’s seven operating companies continued to offer ways to help low-income customers pay electricity bills during the economic downturn. Appalachian Power and AEP Ohio were recognized in 2010 for their “Neighbor to Neighbor” programs in Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia by the Dollar Energy Fund, a non-profit created to assist those who need help paying their utility bills. These AEP programs, funded by a combination of corporate and customer donations, have helped more than 9,900 households and nearly 29,000 individuals of all ages maintain or restore safe electric service through assistance grants since 2008.