Virginia Natural Gas salutes military members and families with donations to our community on Veterans Day
VIRGINIA BEACH – Nov. 11, 2020 – Continuing its long tradition of supporting veterans, active military and their families in the region, Virginia Natural Gas is donating $35,000 to local agencies that provide assistance to these key members of our community.
As we celebrate Veterans Day, VNG is making these donations to help the nonprofit organizations and charities that work to provide critical services to the brave men and women in the U.S. military and veterans who, along with their families, for the sacrifices they have made while serving our country.
Donations will be made to the USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia, United Way of South Hampton Roads – Mission United, The Honor Foundation, American Red Cross of Coastal Virginia, Not Forgotten – Quilts of Valor and the Armed Services YMCA.
“We honor everyone who serve and remember those who have ever worn a uniform to protect and defend our country and freedoms we enjoy today,” said Robert Duvall, president of Virginia Natural Gas. “And it takes organizations like these to invest back into the men and women that have touched our lives by selflessly defending American ideals and values.”
Virginia Natural Gas donations will give support to these beneficiary organizations and their objectives:
- USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia – help keep service members connected to family, home and country locally and around the world.
- United Way of South Hampton Roads - Mission United – connect veterans and their families to critical resources such as housing, food, employment and transportation throughout the community.
- The Honor Foundation – provide a comprehensive transition program to help military members from the Special Operations Commands of Virginia Beach achieve post-military employment.
- American Red Cross of Coastal Virginia – assist with emergency communications and financial needs, as well as recovery and rehabilitation programs to active-duty military members through the Representatives at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and Hampton Veterans Medical Center.
- Not Forgotten – Quilts of Valor – give hand-made quilts to service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts of valor.
- The Armed Services YMCA – provide no-cost and low-cost child care to junior enlisted households in Hampton Roads. The program offers supervision during virtual learning and additional learning activities at their regional office in Virginia Beach.
The grants could not have come at a more critical time, especially for the Armed Services YMCA, said Laura Baxter, executive Director, due to the social distance restrictions imposed by COVID-19 and the overall reductions in revenue.
“We’ve had to reduce our overall capacity and separate the children into smaller groups for our camps,” said Baxter. “With a decrease in funding, it would have been extremely challenging to purchase identical items for each of our four classrooms. Thanks to VNG, we were able to provide our military children all that they needed for a fun and educational experience.”
The commitment of Virginia Natural Gas to the military and veteran community goes well beyond financial donations. The company has also been recognized for its efforts to recruit and hire military veterans. One way has been through the partnership between VNG, Tidewater Community College and the Virginia Gas Operators Association to provide training for veterans and transitioning military to fill the growing need for skilled workers in the natural gas industry.
VNG and its parent company, Southern Company, also have received top rankings from Military Times’ annual Best for Vets: Employers list. Corporate efforts to connect and provide veterans with a platform for success have earned high marks for each of the 11 years the list has been published, making VNG among the best places for veterans to work in Virginia.
The company recently launched its newest employee resource group, VetNet. The group is focused on building a community of veteran and military supporters who are champions for active, reserve and former military members and their families.
“We take great pride in our military, whether still serving on active duty or transitioning to the civilian workforce, along with all our veterans who have served our grateful nation,” added Duvall. “We are passionate about our involvement with the military community because many of our customers, our employees and friends are veterans and have military connections.”
###
About Virginia Natural Gas
Virginia Natural Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Virginia Natural Gas provides natural gas service to nearly 300,000 customers in southeast Virginia and has been recognized as one of the safest, most reliable and customer-focused natural gas service providers. Consistently ranked in the top quartile for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the company has also been recognized by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Virginia Oil and Gas Association for its safety, community outreach and educational programs, and was named Local Distribution Company for three consecutive years. Virginia Natural Gas has been ranked by its business customers as being one of the most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry according to Cogent Reports, and as one of the Top Workplaces in Hampton Roads by Inside Business. For more information, visit virginianaturalgas.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Southern Company Gas
Media Contact:
Rick DelaHaya
o: 757.616.7510 | c: 757.323.7366 | rdelahay@southernco.com
