Ameren Missouri, working with the Missouri National Guard, will award up to $1 million in energy credits to military families in financial need. Families from all branches of the U.S. Military with a breadwinner currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation New Dawn are eligible. This program is the next phase of the $5 million commitment to energy assistance that the company announced Aug. 30.
“The Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen of the Missouri National Guard join the military members of our state in thanking Ameren Missouri for helping our families in need,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard. “This is an example of the support Ameren shows the military and the support Missourians show the military.”
Eligible families must be Ameren Missouri electric or natural gas customers from anywhere in the company’s 63-county service area. Assistance will take the form of a one-time, $1,000 bill credit to the family’s Ameren Missouri account. No cash refunds will be permitted.
“This program is part of our energy assistance commitment. We wanted to help the families of those who are putting everything on the line for our freedom and safety," said Ameren Missouri President and CEO Warner Baxter. "While you can't put a dollar value on the sacrifice they and their families are making, we wanted to offer a program that will have a meaningful impact on the families of our deployed service men and women."
Ameren Missouri has a long history of hiring veterans and supporting employees called into military service. About 800 of the company's employees are veterans, with the highest percentage of veterans employed at the Callaway Nuclear Plant.
To apply for the grant, the Ameren Missouri account holder or his or her spouse must contact the Missouri National Guard Family Program Office at (573) 638-9827. This organization will provide further information and application details, as well as assist with the application process.
To be eligible, the head of household or his/her spouse must be an Ameren Missouri customer currently deployed in a combat zone for at least 120 consecutive days. The family must also demonstrate a valid financial assistance need and be prepared to submit a copy of the soldier's deployment orders (include a Home of Record address), an Ameren Missouri account number, the name on the account, a current address, and a statement verifying that the U.S. Military member is in good standing.
The Missouri National Guard Family Program Office, located in Jefferson City, will screen all applicants. The program will be in effect from Dec. 20, 2010, until Nov. 30, 2011, or until the $1 million is depleted.
Like the other phases of the $5 million commitment already announced, the program will be funded by corporate contributions from shareholder funds that are not recovered through Ameren Missouri’s electric or natural gas rates.
Contact: Tim Fox, 1-314-554-4335, tfox@ameren.com
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Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than a century, and our electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. We serve 1.2 million electric and 126,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. Our mission is to meet their energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Our service area covers 63 counties and more than 500 towns, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit AmerenMissouri.com.