Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Honors Volunteer Efforts to Benefit 90,000 Missourians
ST. LOUIS– Joined by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Gov. Matt Blunt declared today Heat Up/Cool Down St. Louis Day in recognition of generous volunteer efforts that have helped more than 90,000 Missourians stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Blunt also proclaimed July and August "Check on Your Neighbor and Cool Down St. Louis" months to encourage residents to help protect their neighbors from the heat.
"The charitable spirit of Heat Up St. Louis and its volunteers is one of the many things that make our state a great place to live," Blunt said. "I applaud volunteers' efforts to keep senior and disabled citizens throughout the St. Louis region safe and healthy as they face the extreme heat of summer or the cold chill of a Missouri winter."
Heat-Up St. Louis volunteers have contributed to the good health of thousands of individuals and families. Volunteers act as an independent voice in educating the public on utility issues, advocating for the working class and less fortunate and providing a referral resource hotline for those without home heating and cooling. Blunt attended the group's annual meeting today where he signed two proclamations.
Gov. Blunt has secured more than $12 million in state funding to ensure low-income Missourians have access to utility assistance. When he became governor, the state's program to help vulnerable Missourians with their utility costs had not been funded since 2001. His administration was the first to fully fund the energy assistance program, called Utilicare. Under the governor's leadership, in 2006 the funding provided support to over 12,000 low-income households.