COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the second
consecutive year, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has been named the
most "adoption-friendly workplace" in the energy and utilities sector by
the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
AEP reimburses employees up to $3,000 per child for eligible
adoption-related expenses and provides up to 40 hours of paid leave for new
adoptive parents. Fifty-four employees have benefited from AEP's Adoption
Assistance program during the past three years.
"AEP strives to be a family-friendly workplace, and we continuously
seek new and better ways to fulfill that goal," said Mary Cofer, AEP's
director of diversity and culture. "The adoption process can involve
significant expenses, and we're pleased to help defray these costs for our
employees who adopt children.
"We are truly honored to receive this recognition from the Dave Thomas
Foundation again this year," Cofer said.
Data from more than 900 employers nationwide was used to compile the
foundation's annual rankings of adoption-friendly workplaces. The rankings
are based on the maximum amount of financial reimbursement and paid leave
per adoption.
In addition to AEP, the list of the top five energy/utility companies
for 2008 includes BHP Billiton, Cleco Corp., PJM Interconnection and the
Salt River Project.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit, public charity
dedicated to dramatically increasing adoptions of the more than 140,000
children in North America's foster care systems. The late Dave Thomas,
founder of Wendy's Restaurants and an adopted child, created the foundation
in 1992.
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the
United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in
11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity,
owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also
owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a nearly
39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage
transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's
transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the
electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected
transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and
eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in
ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility
units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and
West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan
Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern
Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's
headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
SOURCE American Electric Power
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Related links:
http://www.aep.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/042050.html /
CONTACT:
David Hagelin, Corporate Media Relations,
American Electric Power, +1-614-716-1938
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