Giving

Charitable Organizations

Agency representatives help Nicor employees learn more about United Way. United Way Nicor began supporting United Way in 1954, and this support continues today. By helping fund more than 1,000 health and human service agencies throughout northern Illinois, United Way enriches, strengthens and nurtures communities to make them more vibrant places to live and work.  Nicor is proud of our long association with United Way. Thanks to the efforts of our employees and retirees, Nicor ranks as one of Chicagoland's top contributors, averaging more than $1 million annually over the past 18 years.

March of Dimes Every spring, Nicor employees support the March of Dimes and its fight against birth defects. Sponsoring a March for Babies team each April, Nicor matches dollar-for-dollar what employees collect in pledges. In 2008, more than 360 Nicor employees, family members and friends raised more than $102,000 (including the company match) in donations to help save babies. Nicor ranked #5 in the state of Illinois for 2008 fundraising.

Matching Gift Nicor offers a Matching Gift Program to encourage and reward personal giving by its employees. Through this program, employee donations to qualifying organizations are matched dollar-for-dollar by Nicor, up to $5,000 per year. Qualifying organizations include colleges and universities, museums, theaters, food pantries and libraries. In 2006, Nicor awarded more than $100,000 in Matching Gifts on behalf of approximately 580 employees.

Community Support

Nicor Gas Fire School
Originally established in 1971 to train company employees, the Nicor Gas Fire School has educated more than 3,200 area firefighters. Through classroom instruction and hands-on training, Fire School assures emergency preparedness and helps firefighters understand the most effective methods to extinguish natural gas fires.

Nicor Gas Sharing Program
Administered by the Salvation Army, the Nicor Gas Sharing Program provides one-time annual grants to qualified residential customers. The Sharing Program is funded through direct contributions from Nicor Gas customers and employees, and Nicor matches these contributions dollar-for-dollar (up to $175,000). Since 1983, the Sharing Program has raised nearly $12 million and helped over 70,000 people in northern Illinois.

If you would like to contribute to the Sharing Program and are a Nicor Gas customer, just check the appropriate box on your bill stub and add the amount to your payment. If your natural gas bill is electronically transferred to us, you can call 1 888 Nicor4u (1 888 642-6748) to pledge a Sharing contribution that will be automatically added to your bill each month.

If you're not a Nicor Gas customer or you wish to make a larger contribution, please make your check out to "Sharing c/o The Salvation Army" and send it to:

Sharing c/o The Salvation Army
P.O. Box 30049
Chicago, IL 60630-0049

Nicor Gas employees join with local fire departments to promote fire and natural gas safety every October.

Fire Department Open Houses
October is National Fire Prevention Month. Each year, local fire stations offer families the opportunity to explore the firehouse, sit in fire trucks and visit a variety of information tables. At some locations, visitors can watch fire fighters extinguish a fire. Nicor Gas employees actively participate in these events at more than 40 communities in northern Illinois. Watch for a schedule of Fire Department Open Houses this fall.