Direct Energy to Award Toronto's Adventure Place $2,500 Grant

Toronto-area nonprofit applied to receive funds for energy-efficient upgrades

TORONTO, Jan. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - Direct Energy will be presenting a $2,500 Reduce Your Use For Good grant to Adventure Place, a nonprofit child and family services centre in Toronto. On January 15, 2013 at 5pm, Adventure Place will be hosting board members, staff, families, guests, and executives from Direct Energy to celebrate the great work the nonprofit has accomplished and accept the grant. Adventure Place is the first grant recipient in Ontario since the inception of the program.

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Through the Reduce Your Use For Good program, Direct Energy is offering nonprofits up to $100,000 to implement energy-saving changes to their operations, and awards grants in $2,500 increments. Applications are available online at ReduceYourUseForGood.com and on the Direct Energy Facebook page.

"We are thrilled to recognize Adventure Place for the great things they are doing for the children and families in their community and award them with a Reduce Your Use For Good grant," says Eddy Collier, President, Direct Energy Services. "This grant will help Adventure Place make energy efficiency upgrades to their facility and use those savings for core programs and services. At Direct Energy, we truly believe in sharing our expertise and encourage our employees to get involved in making a difference in their community."

To apply for the grant, Adventure Place submitted a short video showcasing their facility and their mission.

"We are absolutely thrilled that Direct Energy selected Adventure Place as a winner for this grant of $2,500. Our agency has been providing much needed mental health services to children and families for over 40 years and the contributions made by corporate partners like Direct Energy help us to reach our goals." says Cheryl Webb, Executive Director at Adventure Place. "The funds will be used to purchase energy efficient appliances for our children's kitchen. On behalf of our Board of Directors, staff, parents, and children, thank you very much for your support."

Adventure Place, established in 1972, is a registered charitable organization that provides a continuum of prevention, early intervention, and treatment services to young children and families who reside in the Toronto North Quadrant. The agency focuses on facilitating improvements in children's social, emotional, behavioural, communicative, cognitive, academic, motor and physical domains while providing supportive services to families and associated early childhood development service providers within the community.

In an effort to use social media to drive social good, Direct Energy is leveraging its Facebook community to help award the grants. For every 2,500 new "Likes" Direct Energy receives on their Facebook page, they will award another nonprofit applicant with $2,500 to be used toward reducing their energy use, helping them to continue the good work they do.

Grant funds can be used for energy-efficient products or services to help nonprofits reduce their energy use. To be eligible, organizations must have a current and active Registered Charitable Number in Canada or 501(c)(3) status in the United States, be registered with and be in good standing with the appropriate state registration agency, and be in a Direct Energy service area.

For more information, visit ReduceYourUseForGood.com.

About Direct Energy
Direct Energy is North America's largest provider of heating & cooling, plumbing and electrical services and a leading energy and energy-related services provider with over six million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. To learn more about Direct Energy, please visit www.directenergy.com.

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About Adventure Place
Adventure Place is a fully-accredited, community based agency providing comprehensive mental health, social and developmental services dedicated to the well-being and success of children in their early years and their families. Adventure Place believes that all children have the right to healthy development and the achievement of their full potential.

To learn more about Adventure Place, please visit www.adventureplace.ca.

SOURCE: Direct Energy

Jeff Lanthier, Direct Energy, [phone] - Office, [phone] - Mobile, [email protected]

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