FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec 17 2015 12:00:00:000AM
News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@uns.com

UES Awards Nearly $50,000 To Groups Helping Youth, Families And Seniors

Tucson, Ariz. — UniSource Energy Services (UES) has awarded $47,500 in grants to help dozens of nonprofit organizations offer programs that improve the health and well-being of
children, families and seniors.

UES’ Grants That Make a Difference are awarded for programs with measurable results that help vulnerable populations in northern and southern Arizona, where UES provides natural gas and
electric service.

“Grants That Make a Difference improve the quality of life in our communities by supporting nonprofit groups that provide crucial services to those who need help most,” said David G.
Hutchens, UES’ President and CEO. “These grants will help create enrichment activities for at-risk children, provide assistance to seniors and help families to escape poverty.”

The 2015 Grants That Make a Difference were presented over the past several weeks to recipients that provide a variety of valuable services:

Coconino County

• $3,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff for Step up Mentoring, a voluntary program for youth involved in the legal system.
• $3,000 to Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona for Sharon Manor, which provides transitional housing and other assistance to homeless women and children affected by domestic
  violence.
• $1,000 to Northland Hospice and Palliative Care for its assistance fund, which provides financial help to limited-income families with relatives who need assisted-living hospice
  care.
• $3,000 to Victim Witness Services of Coconino County, which provides emergency financial assistance to help victims of crime pay for emergency shelter, food, and other needs.

Mohave County

• $1,500 to Arizona Friends of Foster Children to fund athletic, educational and social activities for children in foster care.
• $1,000 to Arizona Youth Partnership for its Harbor House, which provides temporary shelter and life skills classes for runaway and homeless youth.
• $1,500 to Arizona’s Children Association for its Parents as Teachers program, which supports at-risk children by providing home visits and parent education about early childhood
  development, detection of developmental delays, child abuse and neglect prevention and school readiness.
• $2,000 to Cornerstone Mission, which offers temporary housing and life skills classes for homeless men and women.
• $1,000 to Jerry Ambrose Veterans Council to provide at-risk veterans with clothing, food, shelter, medical treatment, dental hygiene and other services.
• $3,000 to Kingman Aid to Abused People for its Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention & Education Program.
• $2,500 to Kingman Area Food Bank to help purchase protein-rich foods like peanut butter and tuna for inclusion in food boxes.
• $1,500 to Kingman Mohave Lions Club to help pay for vision screenings at local health fairs and school events in the Kingman area.
• $2,000 to River Cities United Way for its Kids Bright and Healthy program, which provides free and reduced-cost dental care and supplies to youth.
• $2,000 to Special Olympics Arizona to help pay for the expansion of Special Olympics activities in Mohave County, including the addition of a new sports and health education
  program.
• $2,000 to Women with Willpower, which works with other nonprofit agencies to provide financial and other types of assistance to women in Lake Havasu City.

Santa Cruz County

• $1,000 to Make-A-Wish Arizona to help pay for the expenses of wish-granting for children with life-threatening medical conditions in Santa Cruz County.
• $1,000 to Nogales Community Food Bank to help pay for fresh produce used in emergency food boxes and food bags given to children at local schools.
• $3,000 to the Santa Cruz Training Center for its Employment Services Program, which provides education, job training and sheltered work programs for adults with developmental
  disabilities.

Yavapai County

• $3,000 to Catholic Charities for the Loft Drop-In Center in Cottonwood, which provides homeless families a place to cook meals, wash clothing and enjoy other comforts of home.
• $2,000 to Cornucopia Community Advocates to help provide emergency financial assistance to individuals and families.
• $2,500 to Gabriel’s Angels to help pay for recruitment, training and placement of new pet therapy teams.
• $1,000 to Make-A-Wish Arizona to help pay for the expenses granting wishes for children facing life-threatening medical conditions in Yavapai County.
• $2,000 to Prescott Area Shelter Services, which provides emergency shelter for homeless women and families.
• $2,000 to Yavapai Casa for Kids, which gives clothing allowances to children from limited-income families for the purchase of new cold-weather clothing and shoes.

UES’ Grants That Make a Difference are awarded through a competitive process. Members of UES’ employee volunteer program and other stakeholders choose grant recipients by evaluating the
effectiveness and sustainability of programs. Recipients must demonstrate financial and organizational stability and meet other criteria. Agencies often use their grants as matching
funds to seek additional funding from other sources. UES employees donate volunteer hours or sit on boards of directors for many recipient agencies.

Grants That Make a Difference are part of UES’ award-winning community service program, which provides philanthropic gifts, in-kind services and support for employee volunteers. UES’
sister company, Tucson Electric Power (TEP), offers a similar program that recently granted $100,000 to nonprofit organizations in southern Arizona.

UES delivers natural gas to approximately 150,000 customers in northern and southern Arizona. It also provides electric service to approximately 93,000 customers. To learn more,
visit uesaz.com. UES, TEP and their parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc., which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million
customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. To learn more, visit fortisinc.com.