Back to list Service & repair Mar 20, 2013 00:00 Award-Winning Volunteer Citizen Of The Year Program Comes To Chicago Direct Energy and Tribune Media Group to honor local volunteers Chicago, IL (March 20, 2013) - Direct Energy and Tribune Media Group are proud to announce the launch of the first ever Chicago Volunteer Citizen of the Year award program. Nominations are now being accepted and will close on Sunday April 28, 2013. The Volunteer Citizen of the Year award program is designed to recognize the significant efforts of individuals whose contributions make their communities a better place to live. As an extension of Direct Energy's vision to harness its energy expertise to make a positive difference in people's lives, it encourages employees to volunteer their time and energy to causes or organizations in their local communities. Winner of the American Business Awards' Silver Stevie®, the Volunteer Citizen of the Year award honors those individuals outside of the company who do just that. First introduced in Alberta, Canada in 2005, the Volunteer Citizen of the Year award has been honoring volunteerism for eight successful years. Four years ago, Direct Energy expanded its Volunteer Citizen of the Year award program to the United States and now has programs in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Columbus, Albany Cincinnati and Dayton. Now, Direct Energy is bringing the renowned Volunteer Citizen of the Year award program to Chicago with Tribune Media Group. "It's exciting to launch the first Chicago Volunteer Citizen of the Year award with the help of Tribune Media Group," said Sayed Khoja, commercial director for Direct Energy. "Everyone has that one person in their lives that does so much for others. We encourage the community of Chicago to take the time to nominate someone to become the first winner." The award itself consists of: $1,000 cash prize to the winner $5,000 cash grant to the winner's organization/cause of choice in their respective community recognition of the winner's achievement through a commemorative award The Volunteer Citizen of the Year award is open to all residents of communities in Chicagoland. Individuals can either nominate themselves or be nominated by another individual or group. Nominations should be no longer than 750 words and must detail the specific contributions the individual or group has made to improve the community through volunteer service. The nomination must also profile the designated organization and how it would use the $5,000 donation from Direct Energy. Nominations must be submitted by Sunday April 28, 2013 at 11:59 pm. A selection committee from Direct Energy and Tribune Media Group will review the submissions, and the winner will be announced in May. About Direct Energy Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. About Tribune Media Group Tribune Media Group (TMG) brands provide premium content to consumers along with integrated marketing, media and business services to advertisers. TMG's media portfolio delivers over 90% market reach with unique hyper local and mass targeting capabilities unmatched by local competitors. For more information, visit www.tribunemediagroup.com. Contact: Julie Hendry Direct Energy 1-412-925-6773 Julie.Hendry@directenergy.com