Dayton electric company donates $1M to its ‘Gift of Power’ program

The $1 million donation is the largest the fund has received in more than a decade.

“What a relief it is for those running low on funds to have a place to go to, to get help, to get the lights on,” said Maj. Paul Cornell, who administers the Salvation Army Kroc Center with his wife, Maj. Martina Cornell.

The program has helped 4,871 households, with 11,263 residents over 11 years, he said.

“As a result of our partnership, they were able to be blessed and to keep the lights on for themselves,” Cornell said of those the program has been able to help.

Tom Raga, AES Ohio president, said the program was born of inquiries the company had often fielded from customers, especially in the winter, about avenues to help people pay their electric bills.

“Customers would call in and say, ‘I’d like to help somebody,’” Raga recalled. “And we really didn’t have a way to do that.”

“It wasn’t just one call a year,” he added. “It was tens, then it became hundreds.”

More than a decade ago, Raga asked Mary Ann Kabel, an AES Ohio communications executive, to devise a mechanism to direct donations to those in need, with a trustworthy partner.

“Every dollar that is contributed is used right here in the community,” Raga said.

The $1 million amount was arrived at through negotiations with community stakeholders in a settlement of AES Ohio’s recent distribution rates case before Ohio regulators.

Settlements are a routine part of utility rate cases. Often, when utilities propose to raise rates, they work with interested parties on refining their proposals.

This is shareholder money, Raga said. AES Ohio is a subsidiary of publicly traded AES Corp. (NYSE: AES), which acquired the former Dayton Power & Light in 2011.

AES Ohio’s total support to the program over the years has amounted to $2.5 million, with donations from AES Ohio employees and customers north of $603,000, according to numbers the company provided.

Donations to the fund are welcome. Learn more at aes-ohio.com/gift-power.

The Gift of Power program is meant to help those who do not qualify for traditional Ohio Energy Assistance programs, providing one-time support to overcome temporary financial setbacks. Applications open in January and run through December.