ANNISTON, Ala. - Jan. 19, 2007 - A $5,000 contribution by the Alabama Power Foundation provided the lion’s share of matching money for a federal grant to fund the salary of one of three full-time staff members at the Daybreak Crisis Recovery Center.

The Anniston-based facility provides crisis intervention and programs designed to prevent sexual abuse in seven east-central Alabama counties.

“What the Alabama Power Foundation has done makes the difference between being able to keep our doors open or not,” said Kirsten Stephenson, executive director of Daybreak. “We do a lot with a very small budget.”

Specifically, the money will fund the salary of Community Programs Manager Trace Smith, who teaches sexual assault prevention for students in grades six through college across the seven-county region. The seven counties are Calhoun, Cleburne, Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah, Randolph and Talladega.

“Trace’s job is to nip sexual assault in the bud before it happens,” Stephenson said. “She explains what the laws are, and discusses issues like dating violence, bullying, mutual respect for others, and boundaries. But she never comes back without at least one student disclosing a problem with sexual abuse.”

The third full-time employee, Special Investigator Steve Robertson, who is deputized by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, was responsible for 50 sexual assault arrests in 2006.

The Alabama Power Foundation grant follows an earlier commitment of support by the Alabama Power Service Organization, which donated money to Daybreak so it could apply for tax-exempt status in 1995. The volunteer service organization of Alabama Power employees also funded a 24-hour crisis hotline and letterhead for Daybreak in its first year, 1996.

“By supporting the Daybreak Crisis Recovery Center, the Alabama Power Foundation is supporting our community,” said Ken Deal, area manager for Alabama Power. “Improving the quality of life is what the foundation is all about.”

As one of the largest corporate foundations in the nation, the Alabama Power Foundation supports thousands of worthy projects throughout the state. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of Alabamians and to strengthen the communities in which they live. Details about the foundation are available at www.alabamapowerfoundation.com

With nine chapters spread across the lower two-thirds of the state, the Alabama Power Service Organization supports a wide range of nonprofit and community causes through volunteer efforts and charitable contributions. More information about the organization is available at www.alabamapower.com

To learn more about the Daybreak Crisis Recovery Center and its programs, visit www.daybreakcenter.com