Volunteers Rolling Up Their Sleeves to Provide Help to 23

Non-Profit Community Organizations in Just One Day

Naperville, IL – On Saturday, May 15 Nicor employees, families, and friends will celebrate the company’s 14^th Annual Volunteer Day by completing projects for 23 local non-profit organizations in northern Illinois. Volunteer Day is an annual celebration of the company’s ongoing mission to contribute to the well-being of the communities it serves. More than 1,000 Nicor volunteers will work alongside community members to complete the various projects in 21 communities.

“Though our commitment to strengthening the community runs year-round, Nicor’s annual Volunteer Day allows our employees a special opportunity to work side-by-side with their neighbors at non-profit organizations throughout northern Illinois,” said Russ Strobel, Chairman, President, and CEO for Nicor Inc. and Nicor Gas.  “Being a good corporate citizen is extremely important to our company, and in these tough economic times there is a greater need for help. At Nicor, volunteerism and charitable giving are part of our corporate culture. Our employees are truly dedicated to working together to make the communities we serve better places to live.”

In addition to the man-hours donated during Nicor’s 14^th Annual Volunteer Day, the company will also be presenting a $15,000 capital grant to the DuPage Habitat for Humanity at the project site in West Chicago. The mission of DuPage Habitat for Humanity is to provide opportunities for homeownership to limited-income individuals and families. The grant will be used for housing construction and rehabilitation.

This year, volunteers will help local organizations by performing a variety of community service activities, including landscape renovation, outdoor cleaning activities, sorting food and household goods for local and international families in need, planting greenery, gardening, painting, river clean-up, and home repair work.

“As Illinoisans continue to struggle with the effects of the recession, this year’s Volunteer Day is more important now than ever,” continued Strobel. “The consistent level of participation among our Nicor volunteers is inspiring and I am pleased that so many communities will benefit from our efforts again this year.”

In 2009, the company contributed through its various philanthropic activities more than $2 million in corporate and employee donations – and thousands of volunteer hours – to 1,200 charitable organizations and causes in communities throughout northern Illinois.

Nicor’s 14^th Annual Volunteer Day involves 23 activity sites in 21 communities across the state. The variety of activities planned includes:

• Volunteers will be sorting food collected during recent community drives at Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry (2707 N. Eola Road) and packaging meals for feeding centers across the world at Feed My Starving Children (555 Exchange Court) in Aurora.

• Community spaces in Batavia will benefit as volunteers perform cleanup activities on behalf of Batavians for a Healthy River. Volunteers for this project will meet on the east side of Clark Island in the parking lot off Route 25.

• Volunteers in Bloomington will perform repair work and a variety of outdoor spring cleaning projects at marcfirst. Volunteers for this project will meet at the northeast corner of Miller Park near the corner of Wood Street and Summit Street.

• Volunteers, many who will be accompanied by their young children, will complete environmentally friendly craft projects at Brookfield Zoo, located at 3300 Golf Road in Brookfield.

• In Capron, volunteers will be sorting food and household goods for families in need at the Boone County Food Pantry, located at 200 S. 5^th Street.

• Volunteers in Carthage helped with a landscape renovation at the World of Wonder Park on May 1^st.

• The Salvation Army Food Pantry will task volunteers with sorting and organizing food at 830 Grove Street in DeKalb.

• Nicor employees will participate in landscaping activities at a Downers Grove-area shelter on behalf of Family Shelter Services.

• Outdoor cleanup and landscaping will take place at a Seguin Services residential home for children and adults with disabilities, located at 1407 Elgin Avenue in Forest Park.

• A local family will receive an affordable-living home renovation as part of a Habitat for Humanity volunteer project located at 89 W. Nevada Avenue in Glendale Heights.

• Volunteers will barcode, sort, and shelve books recently donated by the Community and Economic Development Association Head Start program at the Harvey library located at 14701 Wallace Street. An outside reading area with plants and flowers will also be created on Volunteer Day.

• A new project for Nicor’s Volunteer Day, MorningStar Mission, located at 350 E. Washington Street in Joliet, will benefit from a variety of spring cleaning projects, including planting, outdoor beautification, and painting.

• Volunteers will perform a variety of outdoor spring cleaning projects, including planting greenery and installing tree cages at Morton Arboretum, located at 4100 Illinois Rt. 53 in Lisle.

• At the Rainbow Council Boy Scout Camp in Morris, volunteers will be clearing brush, landscaping, and cleaning outdoor spaces. Participants will meet at 2600 Winterbottom Road.

• Naperville volunteers will participate in planting and outdoor beautification activities at The Conservation Foundation in DuPage County. Participants will meet at 10S404 Knock Knolls Road.

• Volunteers in Naperville will also have the opportunity to clean exhibits and plant an outdoor garden at the DuPage Children’s Museum, located at 301 N. Washington Street.

• Volunteers at Lake Katherine will perform trail improvement efforts, laying wood chips, and pulling weeds. Participants will meet at 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive in Palos Heights.

• The Rock River Valley Food Pantry, located at 1080 Short Elm Street in Rockford, will welcome volunteers to help sort and organize food donations.

• Volunteers will be sorting and organizing food at the Northern Illinois Food Bank, located at 600 Industrial Drive in St. Charles.

• West Chicago volunteers will be adding aluminum siding to a house and garage at a Habitat for Humanity home, located near Pioneer Prairie Park, at the corner of Sherman and Pomeroy.

• Volunteers at the Hearthstone Manor, a live-in facility for seniors, located at 920 N. Seminary Way in Woodstock, will be involved in an outdoor cleanup and beautification project.

• Participants for the Lucas-Berg Reservoir walking path beautification project will meet in Worth at the parking lot behind Village Hall at 7112 W. 111^th Street.

For more information on Nicor, please visit the company website at www.nicor.com.

Nicor Inc. (NYSE: GAS) is a holding company and is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Its primary business is Nicor Gas, one of the nation’s largest natural gas distribution companies. Nicor owns Tropical Shipping, a containerized shipping business serving the Caribbean region and the Bahamas. In addition, the company owns and has an equity interest in several energy-related businesses. For more information, visit the Nicor website at www.nicor.com.

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