Today at a luncheon in honor of National Teacher of the Year Dr. Betsy Rogers, Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary presented a $10,000 donation to the Jefferson County Education Foundation Alabama Reading Initiative, to promote reading in Alabama. Each of the seven schools in Jefferson County now implementing the initiative will receive $1,000, with the remaining $3,000 going to fund existing Alabama Reading Initiative programs.

"The education our children receive today will have a tremendous impact on our state tomorrow, so we must ensure that our children and our schools have the tools they need," said McCrary. "Reading is the cornerstone of education, and Alabama Power is proud to make this donation in honor of Dr. Rogers."

The grant to the Jefferson County Alabama Reading Initiative was made possible by the Alabama Power Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1989 and has contributed more than $70 million to non-profit organizations throughout the state of Alabama and $25 million to educational programs.

The Alabama Reading Initiative is a statewide K-12 program managed by the Alabama Department of Education. The goal of the program is to improve reading and literacy among public school students. The Alabama Reading Initiative provides teachers training to help them teach by integrating phonics, reading and best practices for the classroom in proven and effective ways.

"The future of our state lies in our schools," said Dr. Rogers, National Teacher of the Year. "As a teacher, my role is to ensure students get a solid foundation to become strong readers, in turn, helping them to become great leaders. I feel this donation in my name will help our schools, our valuable students and our state."

To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation go to www.alabamapowerfoundation.com . Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company , provides electricity to more than 1.3 million customers across the state.

SOURCE: Alabama Power Company