Washington Gas Joins Junior Achievement to Launch JA Finance Park® for Students in Montgomery County, Maryland

Washington Gas today joined the Junior Achievement (JA) of Greater Washington for the grand opening of JA Finance Park® in Montgomery County, Maryland. Together with local elected officials, corporate sponsors, students and faculty, the event celebrated the ongoing success of JA Finance Park® to provide an innovative and interactive environment for middle-school students to learn personal finance literacy skills and the economics of life for the 21^st century.

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The new state-of-the-art facility, located on the fourth floor of the Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Silver Spring, is the second JA Finance Park® to launch in Maryland and is expected to host approximately 12,000 students from 40 different middle schools every year, with the support of 2,200 community volunteers. The center features multiple educational storefronts and kiosks where students can engage with experts and educational tools to gain an understanding of managing money effectively and efficiently, including through use of digital technology, in a variety of everyday scenarios.

Washington Gas collaborated with Pepco to create the “YOUtility Challenge” storefront which offers students a dynamic setting to learn how to properly budget energy costs using real-life scenarios in a full-day curriculum. To add fun to the energy education experience, YOUtility showcases an interactive 3D simulated home with visibility into how natural gas and electricity function to power critical appliances in multiple rooms. A touchscreen video game also lets students gauge their knowledge of the many ways houses use energy and presents helpful tips and techniques about energy efficiency and lowering energy costs.

“Washington Gas has served the DC-area for 170 years, and we are thrilled to support education initiatives in the local community that empower the next generation of professionals with skillsets that prepare them for a successful future,” said Adrian Chapman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Washington Gas. “We applaud Junior Achievement for encouraging today’s youth to be financially astute. The lessons learned at the center will help them at home, in the classroom and eventually in the workplace, and we look forward to sharing our diverse energy expertise and volunteer hours to teach participants best practices in the energy industry.”

The YOUtility Challenge sponsored by Washington Gas and Pepco is also available at the JA Finance Park® in Prince George’s County, which was introduced in the fall of 2015 in Landover and serves approximately 9,000 students annually.

“JA Finance Park® offers future generations of Montgomery County leaders what it takes to own their economic success, plan a career path and make smart academic decisions,” said Ed Grenier, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. “We are excited to open our second location in the state of Maryland and appreciate loyal energy partners such as Washington Gas for their continued time and resources. We share a commitment to inspire today’s talented youth to overcome the challenges of managing their own finances and to help them value our training for a lifetime.”

Junior Achievement, the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students from kindergarten to 12^th grade about the fundamentals of finance, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, has reached more than 8 million students in 100 countries worldwide, and the group’s greater Washington area presence in 17 counties includes the District of Columbia.

There are 21 Finance Park® facilities in the nation. Throughout the DC region, more than 120,000 students have graduated from the Finance Park® program, with more than 2.5 million instructional hours dedicated to the cause, and 165 schools representing 10 school systems. To learn more, visit www.myJA.org.

About WGL and Washington Gas

The WGL family of companies—Washington Gas, WGL Energy, WGL Midstream and Hampshire Gas—are now indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of AltaGas Ltd [TSX:ALA]. WGL is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and is a leading source for clean, efficient and diverse energy solutions. With activities and assets across the U.S., WGL provides options for natural gas, electricity, green power and energy services, including generation, storage, transportation, distribution, supply and efficiency. Our calling as a company is to make energy surprisingly easy for our employees, our community and all our customers. Whether you are a homeowner or renter, small business or multinational corporation, state and local or federal agency, WGL is here to provide Energy Answers. Ask Us. For more information, visit us at wgl.com and @wglanswers.

WGL’s regulated natural gas utility, Washington Gas, provides safe, reliable natural gas service to more than 1.1 million customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The company has been providing energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers for 170 years. Visit us at www.washingtongas.com and follow us on Twitter @washingtongas.

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