Winner to receive $100,000 in cash and in-kind services

JACKSON, Miss. – Even the nicest communities could use a little sprucing up now and then. Renovations on a historic square. Landscaping around public buildings. New benches and lighting in the city park. A little makeover can make a big difference, both in quality of life and in attracting new development.

Employees at Entergy Mississippi, Inc. want to help the state's communities grow and thrive. As a result, the company is announcing Mississippi Makeover, a grant competition that will provide a $100,000 cash and in-kind award to help kick off a community improvement project for one lucky town.

"Our employees live and work in the communities we serve, so helping Mississippi is something we take to heart," said Liz Brister, Entergy Mississippi external affairs manager. "And we can't grow as a company unless Mississippi grows. That means it's in everyone's best interest to make our communities the best they can be.

The competition is open to all cities and towns served by Entergy Mississippi.

The winning applicant will receive $50,000 cash and in-kind contributions worth $50,000. The community must then match the grant with at least $25,000 in cash and $25,000 of in-kind support.

"The matching component will help ensure a strong partnership," Brister noted. "We want to be sure the winning project will continue to receive enthusiastic community support for years to come."

Winners must demonstrate how their project will improve overall quality of life and identify resources to sustain the project beyond the competition. Judges will be assembled from the state's community development organizations and the Entergy Mississippi Contributions Committee.

"Our goal with this project is to get Mississippians thinking about the unique qualities of their communities and how they can enhance them," added Brister. "We hope Mississippi Makeover will help our friends and neighbors boost quality of life, job creation, healthy living and cultural achievement in Mississippi."

Applications are due August 15. The winner will be announced in October 2012, and the "makeover" volunteer activity, for which scores of Entergy employees will volunteer their time, will occur in the spring of 2013.

For more information, contact Liz Brister at 601-969-2440 or ebriste@entergy.com. View entry rules and information at entergymississippi.com/our_community/.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to more than 435,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

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Entergy Mississippi's online address is entergy-mississippi.com.
Twitter: @EntergyMS