Cinergy Foundation Awards More Than $90,000 In Grants To Greencastle

PLAINFIELD, Ind., January 24, 2006 — The Cinergy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PSI Energy, Inc., has awarded $90,500 in grants to Greencastle organizations and programs.

Included among the grants is $75,000 for DePauw University’s Nature Park, a 481- acre site on the western edge of the DePauw campus. The funds will create new educational opportunities for Indiana students and community groups. With the foundation's support, DePauw will offer high school students a week-long environmental science summer camp, to be led by teams of DePauw faculty members and undergraduate science students. The grant will also provide for collaborations with middle school and high school students on research projects; Saturday science programs for school students; and opportunities for community groups to enjoy guided tours and other activities in the park. The park currently includes trails, an outdoor teaching area and a small amphitheater. Two new buildings — the Manning Environmental Field Station and the Ian and Mimi Rolland Welcome and Activities Center — recently opened. “As the Nature Park evolves, students interested in environmental issues will have a great opportunity to explore that field at DePauw,” said Rick Burger, Cinergy’s Greencastle district manager. “There also is tremendous potential for community outreach and involvement in this park.”

In addition to the Nature Park grant, the Cinergy Foundation also awarded grants targeted to areas of need identified by community leaders. Cinergy officials met with a cross-section of community leaders from the Greencastle area to hear their perspectives on key community successes and issues. The meetings also provided an opportunity to update community officials on Cinergy activities and answer any questions concerning the pending merger with Duke Energy. Some of the outcomes of the meetings were the following grants, funded by Cinergy shareholders:

• Hometown Greencastle Alliance, $5,000 for the development of a community marketing plan.
• Friends of Putnam County Park Association, $1,000 for the Fourth of July community celebration.
• Putnam County Museum, $1,000 for professional contracting services to plan and execute the renovation of the new museum home.
• City of Greencastle Parks and Recreation, $1,000 to assist the development of Big Walnut Community Park.
• Putnam County Playhouse, $1,000 for “Sound of Music” production.
• 4 Community, $1,000 for resources supporting students and parents in career planning and academic success.
• Putnam County United Way, $1,500 for the United Way Community Campaign.
• Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center, $4,000 for Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center economic development efforts.

Through the Cinergy Foundation, Cinergy Corp. contributes 1 percent of its pretax profits in the communities it serves in support of the arts, education, human services and community development. The company is Indiana’s largest supplier of electricity, serving more than 750,000 customers in 69 of Indiana’s 92 counties.