Strong communities are good for people and good for business. It’s not only our operating companies that are engaged in the community. Our employees are, too. AEP employees donated more than 57,000 volunteer hours during 2010 to assist a variety of organizations and educational institutions. And they did this at their own initiative and on their own time. We are very proud of this tradition of service.

The generosity of our employees and our commitment to community involvement is supported by AEP Connects Grants of $150 each, for which we encourage employees to apply. The grants go to organizations of employees’ choosing, where they have volunteered 40 or more hours during the year. In 2010, 617 grants were awarded to employee-supported organizations. We also track the economic value of the volunteer time our employees give, which was approximately $1.2 million (using a value of volunteer time of $20.85 per hour, based upon the Independent Sector estimated value).

In terms of corporate giving, education is a major area of focus. Our Teacher Vision Grants go to educators in grades pre-K through 12 who live or teach in our service territory or in areas where an AEP facility is located. The grants range from $100 to $500, and in 2010 we added energy efficiency as an educational focus area that is now eligible for this grant program. We provided more than $60,000 in Teacher Vision Grants during 2010 across our service territory.

As an example of our giving to education, Kentucky Power completed a three-year, $55,000 pledge to the Big Sandy College Educational Foundation, Inc. last year. The gift supports the East Kentucky Science Center’s Energy Exhibit and Planetarium, located on the Big Sandy Community and Technical College campus in Prestonburg, Ky. The center provides education and economic opportunities for the community and attracts tourists as well as researchers.

Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is a founding investor and partner of Cornerstone Alliance, an economic development organization that has been working for over 20 years to improve the twin cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, MI and the surrounding area. After years of planning, a new development known as Harbor Shores is taking shape, replacing old abandoned manufacturing buildings and overgrown junk piles with new opportunities for the area. A non-profit entity, Harbor Shores is Lake Michigan’s first beach and golf resort community. The central amenity is a public, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course that offers stunning views of Lake Michigan. The 530 acre master-planned resort will be home to 750 residences, including cottages, custom homes, town homes and condominiums. Harbor Shores has been named the Michigan Development of the Year (West Side) by Crain's Detroit Business and the Grand Rapids Business Journal, and will be home to the Senior PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014.

Providing support to the community is a long-standing tradition at AEP. Here, employees from AEP Ohio deliver holiday food boxes at a Cambridge, Ohio, food pantry.