Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway receives $10,000 grant from Columbia Gas of Virginia for Centennial Conservation Challenge

Columbia Gas of Virginia and the NiSource Foundation is donating $10,000 to the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway to support the 2016 Centennial Conservation Challenge. The Challenge will educate the more than 14 million annual visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway about the importance of the arts, culture and environment in those communities along the Parkway.

“With this contribution we hope that the children, adults and all who visit the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2016, will come away with a new appreciation for the environment and the cultural diversity of the parks and communities across Virginia which benefit from the Parkway,” said Brent Archer, President, Columbia Gas of Virginia.

“2016 marks the National Park Service’s 100^th anniversary and the Centennial Conservation Challenge aims to engage the next generation of park stewards with renewed appreciation of the park’s natural, cultural and historic resources,” said Susan Mills, executive director of the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway. “With Columbia Gas of Virginia joining together with this donation we can continue to make a difference by honoring and empowering youth and local communities in protecting this national treasure, the Blue Ridge Parkway.”

In the past six years, Columbia Gas of Virginia and the NiSource Foundation have provided more than $1.8 million in charitable contributions across the Commonwealth.

About Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway

FRIENDS works through members, volunteer, partners and a network of Chapters to protect, promote and preserve the Blue Ridge Parkway and support the National Park Service. Learn more at www.friendsbrp.org.

About Columbia Gas of Virginia

Columbia Gas of Virginia delivers safe, reliable and clean natural gas to over 252,000 customers in portions of Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, suburban Richmond, Central Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley, the Lynchburg region and parts of Western Virginia. With headquarters in Chesterfield County, the company is one of the 7 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI) serving 4.0 million natural gas and electric customers. Always call 811 before you dig and Dig with CARE. Learn more at www.ColumbiaGasVa.com.