DTE Energy Foundation Gives $7 Million in 2005
04 February 2006 - 8:34AM
PR Newswire (US)
DETROIT, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The DTE Energy Foundation today
announced it contributed more than $7 million to Michigan
non-profit organizations in 2005. This included $158,000 in
contributions the Foundation made to match the $279,000 in
charitable gifts made by DTE Energy employees and retirees to
victims of Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami, and non-profit
organizations serving their local communities. "We are very proud
of the important work accomplished by our Foundation in 2005 and
the extraordinary generosity of our employees and retirees," said
Fred Shell, vice president, corporate and governmental affairs, DTE
Energy, and president of the DTE Energy Foundation. "Even in tough
economic times, we can be counted on to help those in need." The
Foundation made 368 grants in 2005 to Michigan non-profit
organizations. It awarded several significant leadership grants,
including: * United Way of Southeastern Michigan, Detroit. The DTE
Energy Foundation's commitment of $250,000 helped create a new
telephone resource center for people living in metro Detroit. The
United Way's "2-1-1" project has greatly expanded access to
information and referrals for people seeking employment
opportunities, job skills training, health care information and
more. * The Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn. The Foundation awarded
$500,000 to the museum to fund its "With Liberty and Justice for
All" exhibit, which documents the struggle for freedom throughout
American history. The exhibit showcases key iconic artifacts from
The Henry Ford collection, including: the bus on which Rosa Parks
refused to give up her seat, sparking the Civil Rights Movement;
the chair in which President Abraham Lincoln sat when he was
assassinated by John Wilkes Booth; and the camp bed used by George
Washington when he toured battlefields after the Revolutionary War.
Nearly 95 percent of the artifacts featured in the exhibit have
never before been displayed publicly. * Habitat for Humanity's
Jimmy Carter Work Project, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Monroe. With a
grant for $250,000, the DTE Energy Foundation helped fund Habitat
for Humanity's Jimmy Carter Work Project, a statewide "blitz" build
that created 230 new homes for families in need. More than 100 DTE
employees helped build homes sponsored by the Foundation in
Detroit, Grand Rapids and Monroe. * The Nature Conservancy,
Lansing. The DTE Energy Foundation pledged $500,000 over five years
to the Conservancy's "Save the Last Great Places in Michigan"
campaign to preserve key Michigan landscapes. * Northwestern
Michigan College, Traverse City. A five-year, $265,000 grant from
the Foundation to the College established the DTE Energy Freshwater
Institute for Teachers, an innovative program that brings K-12
teachers together with natural resources experts to learn about
water and the environment. DTE Energy, its employees and retirees,
and the Foundation contributed $356,631 to aid victims of the Asian
tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. The Foundation matched the first
$25,000 of $35,231 DTE Energy employees and retirees contributed to
the American Red Cross for tsunami victims. Later in the year
employees and retirees raised $196,400 for American Red Cross
hurricane relief efforts, with the first $50,000 matched by the
Foundation. In addition, DTE Energy donated $50,000 to The Heat and
Warmth Fund (THAW) to help financially strapped Hurricane Katrina
victims now living in Michigan pay their heating bills. Over the
2005 holiday season, the Foundation also matched dollar-for- dollar
the $83,000 employees donated to 55 non-profit organizations that
serve those in need. The DTE Energy Foundation will announce the
next recipients of its signature grant program, the Achieving
Excellence Awards, in June 2006. The program recognizes exemplary
Michigan non-profit organizations with awards of up to $100,000 in
three categories: leadership, collaboration and sustainability. It
is the state's largest corporate grant competition for non-profit
organizations. In light of Michigan's current economic downturn,
the Foundation this year added a Special Achievement Award of up to
$100,000 for the non-profit organization that has best analyzed and
positioned itself to respond to resulting community needs. The DTE
Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy,
continuing the legacy of community support and involvement of its
principal operating subsidiaries, Detroit Edison and MichCon. The
Foundation directs its contributions and involvement to support
initiatives dedicated to developing the human and economic
potential of the communities it serves. Grants are awarded under
the foundation's "LEAD" guidelines: leadership, education,
environment, achievement, development and diversity in the DTE
Energy service territory, which includes southeast, western and
northern Michigan. First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: DATASOURCE:
DTE Energy CONTACT: Eileen Dixon, +1-313-235-9154, or Lorie
Kessler, +1-313-235-8807, both of DTE Energy Web site:
http://www.dteenergy.com/
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