FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov 19 2013 12:00:00:000AM
News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@tep.com

TEP to Present $100,000 in Grants to Groups Aiding Youth and Families

Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Electric Power (TEP) will grant a total of $100,000 to 15 programs run by nonprofit organizations that improve the health and well-being of at-risk children, families and seniors.

TEP’s Grants That Make a Difference will be presented during a ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 19 2013, at 2:30 p.m. at TEP’s Corporate Headquarters, 88 E. Broadway, in Tucson.

The Grants That Make a Difference selection committee looks for programs with measurable accomplishments that improve the quality of life for at-risk populations in TEP’s service territory. The recipient nonprofit agencies 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. TEP employees donate volunteer hours or sit on the board of directors for many of the recipient agencies.

“Our customers live here and our employees live here. We care about our community and TEP’s Grants That Make a Difference program is intended to help make a positive difference in the lives of others,” said Paul J. Bonavia Chairman and CEO of TEP and its parent company, UNS Energy Corporation (NYSE: UNS).

Grants, awarded to organizations with programs that address a wide variety of social problems, include:

Help for at-risk children
• $10,000 to Aviva Children’s Services, which provides academic support to children in the care of Child Protective Services (CPS).
• $10,000 to El Rio Health Center Foundation for its “Hospital to Home” program, in which registered nurses provide new mothers with support and advice about infant development, behavior and care.
• $5,500 to Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center for expansion of its volunteer program intended to provide supervision and support to children in the care of CPS.
• $5,000 to Our Family Services Inc. for its Teens in Transition Program, which assists homeless and near-homeless youth with educational and career planning, employment assistance, food boxes, health and medical care, living skills classes, mental health counseling and other services.
• $5,000 to Gabriel’s Angels’ Pet Therapy Program for at-risk youth in Southern Arizona.

Education and enrichment activities
• $5,000 to the Educational Enrichment Foundation, which awards scholarships to pay participation fees so that Tucson Unified School District high school students can compete on sports teams or perform in fine arts groups such as band.
• $5,000 to SCIENTEK-12 Inc. for its Community Outreach Project, in which board members will visit community events throughout Southern Arizona to give presentations about the scientific method and engineering design.
• $5,000 to the Symphony Women’s Association for its Tune Up Tucson Youth Music Academy Ensemble Creation, which offers free, formal music lessons to low-income children.

Help for seniors
• $10,000 to Pima Council on Aging for its Neighbors Care programs that help older adults to live independently in their homes with assistance that may include transportation, grocery shopping, friendly visits, yard work, caregiver relief, exercise programs and social outings.
• $9,500 to Catalina Community Services for its Homebound Meal Program for Vail in which volunteers plan to deliver thousands of frozen meals to seniors who are home bound or unable to cook.
• $5,000 to Interfaith Community Services for its new Healthy At Home: Additional Services for At-Risk Seniors program, in which volunteers plan to deliver care packages and conduct welfare checks on seniors and disabled adults.

Pathways out of poverty
• $10,000 to the Primavera Foundation, Inc.’s for Greyhound Emergency Family Shelter, a 17-unit shelter for homeless families.
• $7,000 to Youth on Their Own to partially fund its Student Advocate, a staff position intended to help at-risk students to complete high school and explore post-secondary education opportunities and funding.

Improving healthcare and quality of life
• $5,000 to the American Red Cross Southern Arizona Chapter to help veterans to apply for benefits, housing assistance, employment and education support and other services.
• $3,000 to Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona for its Home Safety Program, which provides emergency electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, heating and cooling repairs, roof repairs and wheelchair ramp construction to low-income and senior homeowners.

TEP’s Grants That Make a Difference will be presented by Paul J. Bonavia and David Hutchens, President and Chief Operating Officer of TEP and UNS Energy.

Grants That Make a Difference is part of TEP’s award-winning community service program, which provides philanthropic gifts, in-kind services and supports employee volunteerism to nonprofit organizations. UniSource Energy Services (UES), TEP’s sister company that provides gas and electric service to northern and southern Arizona, is granting $50,000 to nonprofit organizations in its service territories through the UES Grants That Make a Difference program.

TEP donated approximately $1.5 million last year to more than 400 nonprofit agencies and other groups in Southern Arizona through charitable grants from shareholder funds, in-kind contributions and the volunteer service of employees. TEP’s employee volunteer program, the Community Action Team (CAT), is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Members of TEP’s CAT have contributed more than a half-million hours of their personal time over the last 20 years.

TEP provides safe, reliable electric service to approximately 412,000 customers in southern Arizona. To learn more, visit tep.com. For more information about UNS Energy Corporation, visit uns.com.