October 8, 2025 • 30 mins
Dollar Energy Fund’s mission is to improve the quality of life for households experiencing hardships by providing utility assistance and other services that lead to self-sufficiency.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome man. This is a public affairs program shedding the
light on the interest and issues and concerns of the
greater Pittsburgh area. Good morning, My name is Johnny heart Well,
special guest in studio from Dollar Energy Fund Communications Director
Jodi Robertson. Good morning, Good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Good was good to see you, Johnny.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
How's family.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Family's good. We're busy, but it's good. It's good.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
And and your your charity is awfully busy. This is
the time of year where you're just kind of ramping
up everything. Huh.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Absolutely, we're moving into winter heating season and what Dollar
Energy Fund does is we help with utilities, So it's
that time of year for us. We're definitely busy.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
I'll be honest with you. I didn't. I wasn't. I
wasn't sure we were going to get a fall this year.
The weather has just been absolutely incredible.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
And then like two seconds later, it's tall, it's cold.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
And that's what I kept saying. I was like, you
know what, all this nice, We're going to pay for it.
At some point, we are going to pay for it.
So they want to get called all right, So for
those who aren't familiar with the Dollar Energy Fund, even
though you've been around for over four decades, kind of
run us down everything we need to know about the organization.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Sure So. Dollar Energy Fund is a nonprofit organization headquartered
here in Pittsburgh. We provide utility assistance to low and
limited income households. We provide assistance with gas, water, wastewater,
and electric. We partner with all the major utility companies
here in western Pennsylvania. We expand beyond Pennsylvania as well.
We're in eighteen states now, but originated regiinator here in Pittsburgh.
(01:35):
Most of the work we do is in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Can you tell us about the history? How did the
Dollar Energy Fund come about? What's the history behind it?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Sure So, Back in nineteen eighty three when we were founded,
our founder of Betty and Simon, she was volunteering at
a kittyk one of those call in events where people
were calling in to find resources because they were desperate
from the seal industry, the collapses still industry. They're looking
for resource. That was a tough decade for the yes
and they had one of those call in things, Hey
let's get you connected with help. People were calling. They
(02:05):
were able to help them with food, you know, food
banks and career counseling things like that, but the one
thing they couldn't address was utilities. People kept asking, how
do I get help with my utilities? Well, there was
nothing out there for it. So our founder started Dollar
Energy Fund with partner with a few utility companies in
the region to set up the Dollar Energy Fund where
(02:27):
anyone who needed that assistance could apply and get a
grant directly to their utility bill. The utility stepped up
to match every donation received dollar for dollars. So that
was our humble beginnings, all right, Well, way back then,
but we've grown so much since.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, tell us about the evolution of the organization.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Sure, well, we started in Pennsylvania. Each year for the
first probably decade, we would do about thirteen hundred households
would receive a grant. Right now, we're up to over
eighty five thousand households receiving a grant across all of
our programs, about sixteen thousand.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Houses holds on your website. You're closing in helping over
a million people. We do.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
We have a big milestone coming up. We're so excited
because we are literally like days away from hitting this milestone,
a million households receiving a grant from Dollar Energy Fund.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
I got goosebumps, just think, well, it's it's both inspiring
but also kind of it's heartbreaking as well, because these
are individuals and every time we have you come in,
we kind of talk about the same things. It's that
it's not somebody it's usually not somebody who wants help
time and time again. It's usually just somebody who's hit
(03:35):
hard times. And it doesn't have to be you know,
low income. It could be somebody who's maybe loss at work,
maybe a divorce, maybe a change of you know, maybe
they moved in. They're just life happens in circumstances, and
so they're stuck in there. They need a way. They've
got more month than they do paycheck, and so they
(03:57):
just need a little bit of help. And that's what
the that's what the Dollar Energy Fund is all about.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Right about nine out of ten people we help never
come back to us for a grant. They get that
help they need, get them back on their feet, and
they go on you know, financial security. They're good. They're
back with a lot of the households we help. They've
never been in a position where they've had to ask
for help before. It is because of one one off circumstance.
Maybe they had an accident, something major repair in their
(04:24):
home that they medical bills, Yeah, medical bills, prescription costs
took a sudden jump, and then while they're trying to
figure it out, the utilities kind of get pushed to
the side. It's not that immediate need, but when that
bill comes due and they can't pay it, or then
they get the termination to notice, that's when Dollar Energy
Fund can step into help.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Okay, and you've partnered with the utility companies, can you
kind of talk a little bit about that as well. Sure.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So with the utility partners, they give us a dollar
for dollar match on every donation we receive. That's like
amazing because when we get a donation, obviously we're very
grateful for that. But on top of if you give
five dollars, you give ten dollars, the utility company is
going to turn around and double that. So it's right
off the bat, you're gonna have double the impact of
your giving when you donate to Dollar Energy Fund. But
(05:09):
also with our close partnership with the utilities, we're able
to help households with the exact amount they need, so
we can see what their utility bill is. If it's
they only need three hundred and seventy five dollars. A
lot of our programs allow for up to a five
hundred dollars grant, but we're giving that exact amount needed
to stop a termination get their service restored. That also
allows us to reserve funds so we can help families
(05:30):
throughout the year. We kind of make sure we're doing
the right you know, the right amount to make it
last longer for households.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Now, there's something important that we need to stress. If
somebody is in that situation where they need utility assistance,
you recommend that you first contact the utility company first.
That's where it needs to start, because they have a
variety of programs, not only dollar energy fund, but they
may have something that may be better for their situation.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Right, they're going to take your call. And that was
so such an important step is to make that phone
call to the utilities as soon as you have that
termination notice. I get it like it's you think you're
gonna find the solution, or maybe you're embarrassed or you're
afraid to make that call. Like the Uttal company and
the programs that they have there to help you. Dollar
Energy FUNE want to help you, but you need to
make that step. You need to take the time to
(06:20):
make the call. They're going to screen you for programs
that you may be available, that may be available to you,
some of their own programs that they have. They have
customer assistant payment plans that look at your usage and
look at your income and they can determine, hey, you're
going to pay this amount every month and you know,
maintain your services. They can Heck, you don't even need
to have a termination notice. You can get on a
(06:40):
bill payment plan. Anybody can do that, which is a
great way to just budget your funds throughout the year.
You know, make it a consistent amount every month. So
it's not like a crazy Oh I got it. I
didn't expect the bill to be this level.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Right, we talked about this is the kind of when
things start getting colder, that's when the bills start creeping up, right,
And so this is why we're talking to day and
now because this is when the bill started the skyrock,
as opposed to maybe in the summer where some of
the bills are are maybe not as drastic and so
you can kind of level things out throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Great, there's options for that. There's They will also maybe
connect you with Dollar Energy Fund, which is great if
you're eligible for that, and we can get you started
by connecting you to one of our community partners for
application intake.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
All right, so what kind of criteria or process does
a family need to go through to qualify to get
help from the Dollar an Sure, Well, the.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
First step is you have a termination notice or your
services off, so you reach out to your utility company.
The next step would be your income eligibility. They would
look at that. For most households in western Pennsylvania. If
you're a customer of People's Columbia Gas, dou Cane Light,
Pittsburgh Water, your income needs to be add or below
two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline. So basically,
(07:54):
for a family of four, you can make about fifty
three hundred a month or sixty two thousand, four hundred annually.
So if you're at that level, you could be eligible
First Energy, PA Water. That level goes up to two
hundred and fifty percent of the Federal poverty guidelines, so
there's a little bit more. Some of our other partners
are around one hundred and fifty percent. But either way,
there's all this informations on Dollar Energies website Dollar energy
(08:16):
dot org. But if you're income eligible from then you
would go to a community based agency. We partner with
several different excellent nonprofits that are already in the community
doing their mission based work. Food banks, you know, community
action agencies, Catholic charities, places like that who because if
(08:38):
we put our efforts into having all these different brick
and mordars throughout the community, we wouldn't have the resources
to fund our program the way we do. So we
work with them. They're doing great job already, but maybe
they're not doing utility assistance or into the capacity we are.
So you would go to one of those locations, apply
for the services. Hopefully while you're there you're getting connected
with other resources that they provide. Because it's a holistic approach.
(08:59):
We know when you have a utility issue, that's probably
not the only thing going on in the household. Maybe
you could use other resources to help you out. Help
you with career counseling, maybe transportation, childcare, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
So food, food mets and things like that. Yeah, that
makes a whole lot of sense. So I liked holistic.
I like the way you said that because if there's
going to be an issue, and like you said, nine
out of ten people only ask for one time grant,
and so you're helping them out in a variety of
ways of getting back on their feet. And once that happens, amen,
(09:32):
never need your help. But what happens a lot is
the people who have received assistance from the Dollar Energy
Fund suddenly become fanatics. They understand the situation that other
people in and time and time again whenever we do
the requestethon and we'll talk about that in a bit.
We have a lot of people who said, I ten
(09:52):
years ago, I was faced in that problem, in that situation,
and I didn't know what to do. I went to
the Dollar Energy Fund, got two hundred and fifty dollars
three hundred dollars to pay a utility bill. And I
know that there's a lot of people who are going
to be in that situation, and so they understand, and
so they end up donating to the Dollar Energy Fund.
And what's great about not only do they donate and
(10:14):
give us, but those utility partners then double it, which
makes it it helps more. Pittsburgher's that way.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Those are our favorite kinds of stories, when you get
not only we hear the success of the program, but
then they're able to help give back and they see
that the need's still there, the needs always there, but
when we can get those donations back from people, it's
just such a sweet story.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
I hate to ask this, but what is the typical story?
What kind of stories do you get?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, I think for a lot of people, it is
that one off situation where you know, they suddenly off
and now there if they were two income househole ano
they're one income house. So they're trying to balance that,
find the solution, you know, keep looking for other opportunities
for employment while managing their bills. And it's so so
quick that things can go down here.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
And especially now that utilities prices are going up, up, up,
up and up. Are you seeing an uptick of people
asking for assistance because of the utilities the cost of utilities.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
That in the average grant amount that we give out
has gone up, which you know, of course the average
bill is going up. So we've seen a little bit
of a change there as well.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, let me ask you specifically as a communications director,
what are some of the issues that you face talking
about the Dollar Energy Fund? Do you because not only
do you have to explain what you do, you also
have to solicit people who may need the help, but
you also are looking for donations. That's kind of it's
(11:44):
kind of a that's quite a task you do. You
wear a lot of hats in this organization, right.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
I think our biggest challenge is just helping people understand
that the help is available to them. They have to
take that step to reach out. That they can't wait
until the last minute. If you're reaching out to Dollar
Energy Fund and on a Friday afternoon and your service
is getting shut off at five o'clock that day, like,
that's going to be really difficult to rectify if you
(12:11):
give us some time. If you're income eligible, it really
only takes twenty four to forty eight hours. That's, of course,
if you provide all the information that is requested, the
documentation to prove your income and your bill and all
that stuff. But really the time thing is just having
people reach out when they first get that notice. Don't
let it go too far. As far as donations, I mean,
we're always we're so appreciative of everyone who donates. I
(12:35):
think one of the challenges that it's kind of brought
on from all the benefits of technology and the online
bill pay is that people don't see their bills and
they paid online as automatic payment. But one of the
things in your utility bill, at least with most of
the majors in western Pennsylvania, is that there's an option
to add a dollar or more to your bill every month.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
For I had to call in to do gain Light
and specifically say I'm going to do this much every
single month.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Right, it's not as automatic or it's not as in
your face as it used to be, so just reminding
people that that's an option. Of course, you can go
on Dollar Energy's website as well and make a donation.
That's another easy way to do it.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
But it was, you know, for years and years when
you got a paper bill and you could just check
something and says, hey, I'm going to put a dollar
in every month and goes to the Dollar Energy fund
it and I used to do it for years and
years and years and years, and then when it became paperless,
it wasn't until we started working together. I was like, hmmm,
I don't think I do that anymore. I had to
(13:33):
specifically ask Dukin like to do that.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I think most people don't even open their bills, or
they see a statement online and they're like, oh, this
is the amount I pay. They don't look at the details.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
I mean it's automatically paid now, or they're opting.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Out of paper bills. So yeah, so that's a challenge
for us as well. It's just to hey, we're still here,
we still appreciate your donation, and we'll take it. We'll
get it doubled by match from utility Partners and help
families here.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Well, you just mentioned Utility Partners. I know that you
work with them very closely. Is there any other organizations
that really have embraced your mission? Is there other companies
that any sponsors or is that something that that is
that something that you have pursued or you haven't pursued,
or what's the situation there.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
We have a lot of a decent amount of corporate
and foundation partners who have supported us over the years,
whether it's just direct foundation grant or through events that
we have fundraising events. Some that come to mind. Citizens
Bank Foundation has been very generous to us over the years,
has supported us for probably close to fifteen or sixteen
years at this point with grants we through like events
(14:35):
like the request of th On. We've had amazing gamely
support from King Gamley, absolutely, King Gamiley, Toyota, eighty four Lumber,
Metropolitan Windows, GBU Life, so many have keep coming back
here after year and we're very appreciative.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
All Right, let's talk a little bit about the request
of Thon because it's coming here. It's going to be
here before you know it, and so tell us everything
we need to know.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Sure, So the winter warm up requested on this year's
will be Wednesday, November fifth.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
How many years have we done this?
Speaker 2 (15:01):
This is our ninth year, but it's our tenth event.
I know that sounds weird, but we had.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
We had two in one year.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
We kind of did because we did at the end
of the year or the beginning of the year and
the end of the year and it worked out in
the same calendar year. But yes, so it's our our
tenth event, but our ninth year.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
So can we call it our tenth annually?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I think so?
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Can we?
Speaker 2 (15:18):
The rule of right? But did you know, if you
remember last year, we had a really big milestone with
the requests on last year we raised cumulatively over the
years ten or over, it was one million dollars we
passed in assistance for utilities sue that event. So that
was really exciting.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
But if you think about it, you've you've helped a
million people. That's one dollar per person. You know, that's
that's great. But you know, let's put this away, well that.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Amount helped almost three thousand households, which is significant just
from you know, doing this on the air ten times.
I mean, we're doing great.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
And what's great about the Request of th on is
that not only do we raise a lot of money
for the dollar energy fun, but it's also a great
way to engage with the audience. They're going to be
calling in and making requests for they try to stump
the DJs basically on some of these songs, and then
there's other you know, as we approach the holiday season,
(16:16):
being that three WS is the Christmas music station, we
always get a ton of Christmas requests, a lot.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Of Christmas requests, surprising amount of country requests for the
three WS format. So that's fun. But yeah, we get
a few stump, few crazy ones here and there. We
welcome it, we absolutely, but the premise is on November
fifth and six, if you tune into three WS, you
can call in make a donation and you'll hear your
(16:44):
song requests on the radios.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
And we always have incentive prizes and we have grand
prizes and hourly prizes, hourly matches things, So we try
to make it as fun as possible, but it's always
incumbent on the listeners participating calling in to our special
request line to make that donation first, and then they
get their song. Now. Sometimes somebody will say, you know,
(17:08):
I want a thirteen minute song, I want Elton John's
funeral for a friend, and I'll donate five dollars and
my head just explodes. It's like, come.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
On, you play the five dollars version. Yes, we do,
we do, and we again we appreciate the five dollars
I do. They want to take take it that way,
but absolutely that every little bit adds up. Typically for
a donation, we have a lot of people who give
what we call our neighborhood Hero level, which is one
hundred and eighty dollars total fifteen a month over the
(17:38):
year and what that does with a utility matching, you know,
contribution makes it three hundred and sixty dollars. That's real
close to our average grand amount. So when you donate
at that level, you're helping a family in Pittsburgh automatically.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
With that, I love it. But you also work with
other medias in and a round two. Let's be fair,
it's not just us other media. I've really embraced your
For those just tuning in, we're talking with Jodi Robinson
for the Dollar Energy Fund, kind of resetting everything. Just
explain exactly what Dollar Energy Fund does. Sure.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Dollar Energy Fund is a nonprofit organization. We provide utility
assistance grants to low and loaded income households. We do
this with gas, water, electric, and waste water, and we
partner with pretty much all the major utility companies in
western Pennsylvania and mostly throughout Pennsylvania. So if you are
in need of utility assistance, we good chance we can
(18:32):
help you.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
You do a lot of fundraisers with different media outlets.
Is how important are those fundraisers really?
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Just especially the time of year. A lot of our
fundraisers are centered in the winter, just trying to get
our message out there that one help is available and
two that we could use donations to make that help available.
So really just the timing and just reaching the market,
trying to saturate the market as best we can with
our message. It's so important.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
You want to even though you've been around for how
many years, up for forty plus forty two, forty two,
you still have to every year around this time, have
to want to remind people what the Dollar Energy Fund
and what's available right.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Right and our funds when we have them, they're on
a first comfort serve basis, So the more we can
raise the better, the more families we can help. Every year,
especially in the last few years, the demand has increased,
The amount needed by a household has slightly gone up.
We don't see that changing. Winter's coming, even if it's mild,
it's still rough and you don't want your home to
get cold in the winter. And for families who are struggling,
(19:36):
a grant from Dollar Energy Fund can make such a
huge difference.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
And we hear in the news day after day that
utilities are going up, they're not going back down, and
so the situation isn't getting better, it's always getting worse.
And so you're sitting in the situation where not only
are you getting more people needing the assistance, but they're
asking for more. And so these fundraisers make it that
(20:02):
more important that they that you raise it you get
more money to because you could run out of money
by at the end of the winter season.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Absolutely, and we even go through the year, funds are
a little low and we might have to adjust our
guidelines a little bit just to make sure that we're
hitting those most vulnerable households. And then we have a
fundraiser and then we can help more families.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So how do you tailor your message? Do you try
to tailor to people who need the assistance or maybe
who can help with the donations, or maybe from a
sponsorship standpoint, or maybe all three.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
It's kind of all that. I mean, definitely, we are
here to help families and we want to make sure
people know that we are available. That's probably our core
message is that what Dollar Energy Fund does. But of
course we could not do that without help from the
generous people who donate, whether that's through their utility bill,
or they make a donation on our website, or they
support us through one of our fundraising events.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
How important is the utility partners.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I mean, we would not be where we are without them,
and that's that's just fact. Without their support every you know,
we would have half the impact we have. We wouldn't
wouldn't be hitting one hundred, or we wouldn't be hitting
a million households helped soon. Without their help, we would
be much lower than that. Who knows if we would
have been able to expand into other markets and help
(21:18):
in other states. It just can't really quantify it.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
It's just part of the utility part I think it's
a I think it's important that we talk again that
if somebody is in a situation where they need utility assistance,
that you need to contact the utility first. That needs
to be your first step right now. Why is that, Well.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
It really is because they want to make sure that
they're getting connected with the best option for you, which
which assistants plan, which assistance program, whether it's one of
theirs or one of ours, because our funds are limited.
So if they can get you set up with maybe
a customer assistance payment plan like a camp payment, that's great.
(22:03):
That'll get you, you know, safe service, you'll be able
to maintain your service throughout the year and then maybe
you don't need that grant from Dollar Energy Fund. Maybe
you need both, maybe you need help from other things
like but to start there at least.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
That there's a lot of people once they they're they
get frustrated, they get the bill, they can't pay it,
and so maybe they're they're they tendency I'm just ripping
or not going to pay it, or I'm not going
to do anything. I'm just going to ignore it, which
is never the answer, right, because they.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Will shut off your service eventually. It will happen if
you don't pay it right.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Or at least talk to them right, find out what
they can do for you. If it's not the Dollar
Energy Fund, they may have a resource that may be
able to help you, or a situation where they can
talk talk it through, give you options right, and what
you can do.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I think it's important thing to mention about the utilities
is that they want you to have safe service, They
want you to be a good customer. They want to
help you all do right. They want to help you,
they want to they have options to help you, whether
that's one of their programs or its or it's you know,
referring them to Dollar Energy Fund. It's it's not like
they're against you. You may seem like it, but they're not.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
They want to help you. But you have to understand
the frustration from all of us. All our bills are
going up and we're frustrated that they're not. We have
to work more to pay the same for the same
amount of light usage.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
And the cost of everything seems to be going up.
So it is frustrating time for a lot of people.
We know that when you're calling you there's an emotional
component to it, but again, just try to make their call.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Make the call.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
That the first step. Yeah, that's the first step, and
you know, hopefully you'll get all the help you can
and you'll be back on your feet and then moving forward.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And then then they may send you to Dollar Energy Fund.
And what's great by talking to you guys, is that
we talked about this earlier. It's a holistic solution. Not
only are we going to cut you're going to evaluate
their energy assistance needs, find out if they're eligible for
a grant, and then maybe there's other groups that they
(24:08):
can like the food bank or something like along that
so you can or if you need job counseling or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Right, help with childcare, help with transportation, help with you know,
even just navigating some of your finances. There there are
organizations in your community that will help you budget, you know,
things like that. So there's all kinds of amazing nonprofits
that we partner with that you just gotta make the
call get with them.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It starts with utilities and then they can have they
can point you in the right direction because they do
want you. They don't want to shut off the power, right,
That's that's dangerous.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And nobody wants anyone to go through the winter in
Pittsburgh and the Colts.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
And it's it's not getting any warmer, all right. So
let's we mentioned our media thing that's coming up in
a couple of weeks, the Request of On. But you
have a number of fundrais as well. You still do
the Warmuthon and that's going to be in the spring.
Do you have any other fund raisers.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
That, Yeah, Well, the Warmthon will be in February on
Katie K Radio. So you can find out more information
about that on Dollar Nation Fund's website right now. We
partner with the Pittsburgh Penguins as well, We have a
promotion with them, as we called the Shirts Off our Back.
So and you can go on Dollar Energy's website now
and you can buy a ticket to be entered to
win a chance at the you know, the last game
(25:27):
of the season. They do the thing where the players
come out and they take off their jersey and they
give it to a fan. You have a chance to
be one of those people who gets the jersey. So
you can find out all the details on our website.
We just we just opened that up for this year
so that you plenty of time. The games play in April,
so and then we also will partner with them. They
do one of their jersey auctions or jersey auction for us,
(25:49):
so the game warn jerseys. This will be later in
the season. You can bid on them and all the
proceeds go to dolls.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
You can smell the sweat.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Yeah, they literally give them to you right off the players.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So, all right, is there anything else you want people
to know about Dollar Energy Fund?
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I think just the most important thing. There's two things.
One is that if you need help, Dollar Energy Fund
is available to help you with gas, water, electric wastewater
in western Pennsylvania. Chances are one of your utility companies,
if not all of them, are one that we partner
with and we can help you if you have you
have that need, you meet our income requirements and they're
(26:27):
like set up to two hundred and fifty some utilities
even up to three hundred. The other thing is if
you are able to help. I know there's so many
amazing causes out there, but Dollar Energy Fund we just
do utility assistance. We're very efficient. We also get a
separate donation from Mary Utility Partners to help cover our overheads.
So a lot of what we do and the money
(26:47):
we take, we can take that right back out the
door one hundred percent to help families that needs. So
your donation is being used very wisely. It's being matched
dollar for dollar, and it's having a huge impact in
the community right here.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
All right, tell us more about the request of thun the.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Request on I'm so excited because I want to hear
the songs. I want to know what people are going
to request this year. I was trying to think of
that am I drive in today, like what are going
to be the crazy songs people are going to ask
Johnny to play on the radio. But so November fifteen sixth.
If you listen to three WS tune in during the
day and you can hear all the details of how
to call in, how to make a donation, you go
on our website. You actually can go on our website
(27:21):
now and get your donation in the front and your
song request at the front of the dollar dot org
slash request that on make a donation, put in your
song request, play it first thing on November fifth. But yeah,
so if you donate fifteen dollars a month or total
of one hundred and eighty dollars, you're entered for a
Neighborhood Hero incentive packages this year. I heard we have
(27:44):
all kinds of crazy things we're giving away. I think tickets,
sporting tickets, concert tickets, Like we're going.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
To have a special auction we're going to have. Yeah,
we're gonna this is our tenth year a.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Grand prize this year. Did you hear what your grandparents
untilities for years? So we're going to take Oh wow,
it's like an average utility costs for a year, and
that's what our grand prize.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Winner is getting to know that. Yes, oh so we're
breaking news here. Yes, that's awesome. Yeah, so I cannot wait. Well,
there'll be. I won't tell you the number now because
you won't remember it, and plus I don't have it
in front of you, even though I've said it ten
years in a row. I'm so sad, I know. But
it's always a fantastic time. It's and it's it's crazy.
It's like bedlam when you know, when we kick this
(28:26):
thing off, the phone lines open, people start requesting songs
and making donations. It goes for a great cause, and
of course whatever you give also gets doubled by the utilities.
We have plenty of you know, our corporate sponsors that
are going to help out in raising money for the
Dollar Energy Fund. That all that money stays right here
in Pittsburgh too, that's very important. So Jody, it's always
(28:47):
great to see you, and I guess I'll see you
in a couple of weeks and it's going to be
a busy couple of days.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Huh yep, looking forward to it all right.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Once again, if you want any information on the Dollar
Energy Fund, go to the website. But first con Tach
Utility Company. If you're in that situation, you submit an application,
you'll receive a grant. But if you get. If you
really want more information, go to their website dollar energy
dot org. That's dollar energy dot org. Jody, thank you
so much. Thank you as always. If you have any comments,
(29:15):
concern or an idea for a future program, please email
us from this radio station's website. I'm Johnny Hartwell, thank
you so much for listening. Mom's early Alzheimer's sagnosis was hard.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
To take, and when I looked the oven on, we
decided together that it was time to see a doctor
and make a plan.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Early detection gave us more time to see, gout information
and support as a family.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
If you or your family or noticing changes, it could
be Alzheimer's talk about seeing a doctor together. For more information,
visit alz dot org. Slash time to Talk. A message
from the Alzheimer's Association and the ad counts well.
Welcome man. This is a public affairs program shedding the
light on the interest and issues and concerns of the
greater Pittsburgh area. Good morning, My name is Johnny heart Well,
special guest in studio from Dollar Energy Fund Communications Director
Jodi Robertson. Good morning, Good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Good was good to see you, Johnny.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
How are you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
How's family.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Family's good. We're busy, but it's good. It's good.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
And and your your charity is awfully busy. This is
the time of year where you're just kind of ramping
up everything. Huh.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Absolutely, we're moving into winter heating season and what Dollar
Energy Fund does is we help with utilities, So it's
that time of year for us. We're definitely busy.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
I'll be honest with you. I didn't. I wasn't. I
wasn't sure we were going to get a fall this year.
The weather has just been absolutely incredible.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
And then like two seconds later, it's tall, it's cold.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
And that's what I kept saying. I was like, you
know what, all this nice, We're going to pay for it.
At some point, we are going to pay for it.
So they want to get called all right, So for
those who aren't familiar with the Dollar Energy Fund, even
though you've been around for over four decades, kind of
run us down everything we need to know about the organization.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Sure So. Dollar Energy Fund is a nonprofit organization headquartered
here in Pittsburgh. We provide utility assistance to low and
limited income households. We provide assistance with gas, water, wastewater,
and electric. We partner with all the major utility companies
here in western Pennsylvania. We expand beyond Pennsylvania as well.
We're in eighteen states now, but originated regiinator here in Pittsburgh.
(01:35):
Most of the work we do is in Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Can you tell us about the history? How did the
Dollar Energy Fund come about? What's the history behind it?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Sure So, Back in nineteen eighty three when we were founded,
our founder of Betty and Simon, she was volunteering at
a kittyk one of those call in events where people
were calling in to find resources because they were desperate
from the seal industry, the collapses still industry. They're looking
for resource. That was a tough decade for the yes
and they had one of those call in things, Hey
let's get you connected with help. People were calling. They
(02:05):
were able to help them with food, you know, food
banks and career counseling things like that, but the one
thing they couldn't address was utilities. People kept asking, how
do I get help with my utilities? Well, there was
nothing out there for it. So our founder started Dollar
Energy Fund with partner with a few utility companies in
the region to set up the Dollar Energy Fund where
(02:27):
anyone who needed that assistance could apply and get a
grant directly to their utility bill. The utility stepped up
to match every donation received dollar for dollars. So that
was our humble beginnings, all right, Well, way back then,
but we've grown so much since.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, tell us about the evolution of the organization.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Sure, well, we started in Pennsylvania. Each year for the
first probably decade, we would do about thirteen hundred households
would receive a grant. Right now, we're up to over
eighty five thousand households receiving a grant across all of
our programs, about sixteen thousand.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Houses holds on your website. You're closing in helping over
a million people. We do.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
We have a big milestone coming up. We're so excited
because we are literally like days away from hitting this milestone,
a million households receiving a grant from Dollar Energy Fund.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
I got goosebumps, just think, well, it's it's both inspiring
but also kind of it's heartbreaking as well, because these
are individuals and every time we have you come in,
we kind of talk about the same things. It's that
it's not somebody it's usually not somebody who wants help
time and time again. It's usually just somebody who's hit
(03:35):
hard times. And it doesn't have to be you know,
low income. It could be somebody who's maybe loss at work,
maybe a divorce, maybe a change of you know, maybe
they moved in. They're just life happens in circumstances, and
so they're stuck in there. They need a way. They've
got more month than they do paycheck, and so they
(03:57):
just need a little bit of help. And that's what
the that's what the Dollar Energy Fund is all about.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Right about nine out of ten people we help never
come back to us for a grant. They get that
help they need, get them back on their feet, and
they go on you know, financial security. They're good. They're
back with a lot of the households we help. They've
never been in a position where they've had to ask
for help before. It is because of one one off circumstance.
Maybe they had an accident, something major repair in their
(04:24):
home that they medical bills, Yeah, medical bills, prescription costs
took a sudden jump, and then while they're trying to
figure it out, the utilities kind of get pushed to
the side. It's not that immediate need, but when that
bill comes due and they can't pay it, or then
they get the termination to notice, that's when Dollar Energy
Fund can step into help.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Okay, and you've partnered with the utility companies, can you
kind of talk a little bit about that as well. Sure.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So with the utility partners, they give us a dollar
for dollar match on every donation we receive. That's like
amazing because when we get a donation, obviously we're very
grateful for that. But on top of if you give
five dollars, you give ten dollars, the utility company is
going to turn around and double that. So it's right
off the bat, you're gonna have double the impact of
your giving when you donate to Dollar Energy Fund. But
(05:09):
also with our close partnership with the utilities, we're able
to help households with the exact amount they need, so
we can see what their utility bill is. If it's
they only need three hundred and seventy five dollars. A
lot of our programs allow for up to a five
hundred dollars grant, but we're giving that exact amount needed
to stop a termination get their service restored. That also
allows us to reserve funds so we can help families
(05:30):
throughout the year. We kind of make sure we're doing
the right you know, the right amount to make it
last longer for households.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Now, there's something important that we need to stress. If
somebody is in that situation where they need utility assistance,
you recommend that you first contact the utility company first.
That's where it needs to start, because they have a
variety of programs, not only dollar energy fund, but they
may have something that may be better for their situation.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Right, they're going to take your call. And that was
so such an important step is to make that phone
call to the utilities as soon as you have that
termination notice. I get it like it's you think you're
gonna find the solution, or maybe you're embarrassed or you're
afraid to make that call. Like the Uttal company and
the programs that they have there to help you. Dollar
Energy FUNE want to help you, but you need to
make that step. You need to take the time to
(06:20):
make the call. They're going to screen you for programs
that you may be available, that may be available to you,
some of their own programs that they have. They have
customer assistant payment plans that look at your usage and
look at your income and they can determine, hey, you're
going to pay this amount every month and you know,
maintain your services. They can Heck, you don't even need
to have a termination notice. You can get on a
(06:40):
bill payment plan. Anybody can do that, which is a
great way to just budget your funds throughout the year.
You know, make it a consistent amount every month. So
it's not like a crazy Oh I got it. I
didn't expect the bill to be this level.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Right, we talked about this is the kind of when
things start getting colder, that's when the bills start creeping up, right,
And so this is why we're talking to day and
now because this is when the bill started the skyrock,
as opposed to maybe in the summer where some of
the bills are are maybe not as drastic and so
you can kind of level things out throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Great, there's options for that. There's They will also maybe
connect you with Dollar Energy Fund, which is great if
you're eligible for that, and we can get you started
by connecting you to one of our community partners for
application intake.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
All right, so what kind of criteria or process does
a family need to go through to qualify to get
help from the Dollar an Sure, Well, the.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
First step is you have a termination notice or your
services off, so you reach out to your utility company.
The next step would be your income eligibility. They would
look at that. For most households in western Pennsylvania. If
you're a customer of People's Columbia Gas, dou Cane Light,
Pittsburgh Water, your income needs to be add or below
two hundred percent of the federal poverty guideline. So basically,
(07:54):
for a family of four, you can make about fifty
three hundred a month or sixty two thousand, four hundred annually.
So if you're at that level, you could be eligible
First Energy, PA Water. That level goes up to two
hundred and fifty percent of the Federal poverty guidelines, so
there's a little bit more. Some of our other partners
are around one hundred and fifty percent. But either way,
there's all this informations on Dollar Energies website Dollar energy
(08:16):
dot org. But if you're income eligible from then you
would go to a community based agency. We partner with
several different excellent nonprofits that are already in the community
doing their mission based work. Food banks, you know, community
action agencies, Catholic charities, places like that who because if
(08:38):
we put our efforts into having all these different brick
and mordars throughout the community, we wouldn't have the resources
to fund our program the way we do. So we
work with them. They're doing great job already, but maybe
they're not doing utility assistance or into the capacity we are.
So you would go to one of those locations, apply
for the services. Hopefully while you're there you're getting connected
with other resources that they provide. Because it's a holistic approach.
(08:59):
We know when you have a utility issue, that's probably
not the only thing going on in the household. Maybe
you could use other resources to help you out. Help
you with career counseling, maybe transportation, childcare, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
So food, food mets and things like that. Yeah, that
makes a whole lot of sense. So I liked holistic.
I like the way you said that because if there's
going to be an issue, and like you said, nine
out of ten people only ask for one time grant,
and so you're helping them out in a variety of
ways of getting back on their feet. And once that happens, amen,
(09:32):
never need your help. But what happens a lot is
the people who have received assistance from the Dollar Energy
Fund suddenly become fanatics. They understand the situation that other
people in and time and time again whenever we do
the requestethon and we'll talk about that in a bit.
We have a lot of people who said, I ten
(09:52):
years ago, I was faced in that problem, in that situation,
and I didn't know what to do. I went to
the Dollar Energy Fund, got two hundred and fifty dollars
three hundred dollars to pay a utility bill. And I
know that there's a lot of people who are going
to be in that situation, and so they understand, and
so they end up donating to the Dollar Energy Fund.
And what's great about not only do they donate and
(10:14):
give us, but those utility partners then double it, which
makes it it helps more. Pittsburgher's that way.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Those are our favorite kinds of stories, when you get
not only we hear the success of the program, but
then they're able to help give back and they see
that the need's still there, the needs always there, but
when we can get those donations back from people, it's
just such a sweet story.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
I hate to ask this, but what is the typical story?
What kind of stories do you get?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, I think for a lot of people, it is
that one off situation where you know, they suddenly off
and now there if they were two income househole ano
they're one income house. So they're trying to balance that,
find the solution, you know, keep looking for other opportunities
for employment while managing their bills. And it's so so
quick that things can go down here.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
And especially now that utilities prices are going up, up, up,
up and up. Are you seeing an uptick of people
asking for assistance because of the utilities the cost of utilities.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
That in the average grant amount that we give out
has gone up, which you know, of course the average
bill is going up. So we've seen a little bit
of a change there as well.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, let me ask you specifically as a communications director,
what are some of the issues that you face talking
about the Dollar Energy Fund? Do you because not only
do you have to explain what you do, you also
have to solicit people who may need the help, but
you also are looking for donations. That's kind of it's
(11:44):
kind of a that's quite a task you do. You
wear a lot of hats in this organization, right.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
I think our biggest challenge is just helping people understand
that the help is available to them. They have to
take that step to reach out. That they can't wait
until the last minute. If you're reaching out to Dollar
Energy Fund and on a Friday afternoon and your service
is getting shut off at five o'clock that day, like,
that's going to be really difficult to rectify if you
(12:11):
give us some time. If you're income eligible, it really
only takes twenty four to forty eight hours. That's, of course,
if you provide all the information that is requested, the
documentation to prove your income and your bill and all
that stuff. But really the time thing is just having
people reach out when they first get that notice. Don't
let it go too far. As far as donations, I mean,
we're always we're so appreciative of everyone who donates. I
(12:35):
think one of the challenges that it's kind of brought
on from all the benefits of technology and the online
bill pay is that people don't see their bills and
they paid online as automatic payment. But one of the
things in your utility bill, at least with most of
the majors in western Pennsylvania, is that there's an option
to add a dollar or more to your bill every month.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
For I had to call in to do gain Light
and specifically say I'm going to do this much every
single month.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Right, it's not as automatic or it's not as in
your face as it used to be, so just reminding
people that that's an option. Of course, you can go
on Dollar Energy's website as well and make a donation.
That's another easy way to do it.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
But it was, you know, for years and years when
you got a paper bill and you could just check
something and says, hey, I'm going to put a dollar
in every month and goes to the Dollar Energy fund
it and I used to do it for years and
years and years and years, and then when it became paperless,
it wasn't until we started working together. I was like, hmmm,
I don't think I do that anymore. I had to
(13:33):
specifically ask Dukin like to do that.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
I think most people don't even open their bills, or
they see a statement online and they're like, oh, this
is the amount I pay. They don't look at the details.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
I mean it's automatically paid now, or they're opting.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Out of paper bills. So yeah, so that's a challenge
for us as well. It's just to hey, we're still here,
we still appreciate your donation, and we'll take it. We'll
get it doubled by match from utility Partners and help
families here.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Well, you just mentioned Utility Partners. I know that you
work with them very closely. Is there any other organizations
that really have embraced your mission? Is there other companies
that any sponsors or is that something that that is
that something that you have pursued or you haven't pursued,
or what's the situation there.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
We have a lot of a decent amount of corporate
and foundation partners who have supported us over the years,
whether it's just direct foundation grant or through events that
we have fundraising events. Some that come to mind. Citizens
Bank Foundation has been very generous to us over the years,
has supported us for probably close to fifteen or sixteen
years at this point with grants we through like events
(14:35):
like the request of th On. We've had amazing gamely
support from King Gamley, absolutely, King Gamiley, Toyota, eighty four Lumber,
Metropolitan Windows, GBU Life, so many have keep coming back
here after year and we're very appreciative.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
All Right, let's talk a little bit about the request
of Thon because it's coming here. It's going to be
here before you know it, and so tell us everything
we need to know.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Sure, So the winter warm up requested on this year's
will be Wednesday, November fifth.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
How many years have we done this?
Speaker 2 (15:01):
This is our ninth year, but it's our tenth event.
I know that sounds weird, but we had.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
We had two in one year.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
We kind of did because we did at the end
of the year or the beginning of the year and
the end of the year and it worked out in
the same calendar year. But yes, so it's our our
tenth event, but our ninth year.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
So can we call it our tenth annually?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I think so?
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Can we?
Speaker 2 (15:18):
The rule of right? But did you know, if you
remember last year, we had a really big milestone with
the requests on last year we raised cumulatively over the
years ten or over, it was one million dollars we
passed in assistance for utilities sue that event. So that
was really exciting.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
But if you think about it, you've you've helped a
million people. That's one dollar per person. You know, that's
that's great. But you know, let's put this away, well that.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Amount helped almost three thousand households, which is significant just
from you know, doing this on the air ten times.
I mean, we're doing great.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
And what's great about the Request of th on is
that not only do we raise a lot of money
for the dollar energy fun, but it's also a great
way to engage with the audience. They're going to be
calling in and making requests for they try to stump
the DJs basically on some of these songs, and then
there's other you know, as we approach the holiday season,
(16:16):
being that three WS is the Christmas music station, we
always get a ton of Christmas requests, a lot.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Of Christmas requests, surprising amount of country requests for the
three WS format. So that's fun. But yeah, we get
a few stump, few crazy ones here and there. We
welcome it, we absolutely, but the premise is on November
fifth and six, if you tune into three WS, you
can call in make a donation and you'll hear your
(16:44):
song requests on the radios.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
And we always have incentive prizes and we have grand
prizes and hourly prizes, hourly matches things, So we try
to make it as fun as possible, but it's always
incumbent on the listeners participating calling in to our special
request line to make that donation first, and then they
get their song. Now. Sometimes somebody will say, you know,
(17:08):
I want a thirteen minute song, I want Elton John's
funeral for a friend, and I'll donate five dollars and
my head just explodes. It's like, come.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
On, you play the five dollars version. Yes, we do,
we do, and we again we appreciate the five dollars
I do. They want to take take it that way,
but absolutely that every little bit adds up. Typically for
a donation, we have a lot of people who give
what we call our neighborhood Hero level, which is one
hundred and eighty dollars total fifteen a month over the
(17:38):
year and what that does with a utility matching, you know,
contribution makes it three hundred and sixty dollars. That's real
close to our average grand amount. So when you donate
at that level, you're helping a family in Pittsburgh automatically.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
With that, I love it. But you also work with
other medias in and a round two. Let's be fair,
it's not just us other media. I've really embraced your
For those just tuning in, we're talking with Jodi Robinson
for the Dollar Energy Fund, kind of resetting everything. Just
explain exactly what Dollar Energy Fund does. Sure.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Dollar Energy Fund is a nonprofit organization. We provide utility
assistance grants to low and loaded income households. We do
this with gas, water, electric, and waste water, and we
partner with pretty much all the major utility companies in
western Pennsylvania and mostly throughout Pennsylvania. So if you are
in need of utility assistance, we good chance we can
(18:32):
help you.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
You do a lot of fundraisers with different media outlets.
Is how important are those fundraisers really?
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Just especially the time of year. A lot of our
fundraisers are centered in the winter, just trying to get
our message out there that one help is available and
two that we could use donations to make that help available.
So really just the timing and just reaching the market,
trying to saturate the market as best we can with
our message. It's so important.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
You want to even though you've been around for how
many years, up for forty plus forty two, forty two,
you still have to every year around this time, have
to want to remind people what the Dollar Energy Fund
and what's available right.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Right and our funds when we have them, they're on
a first comfort serve basis, So the more we can
raise the better, the more families we can help. Every year,
especially in the last few years, the demand has increased,
The amount needed by a household has slightly gone up.
We don't see that changing. Winter's coming, even if it's mild,
it's still rough and you don't want your home to
get cold in the winter. And for families who are struggling,
(19:36):
a grant from Dollar Energy Fund can make such a
huge difference.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
And we hear in the news day after day that
utilities are going up, they're not going back down, and
so the situation isn't getting better, it's always getting worse.
And so you're sitting in the situation where not only
are you getting more people needing the assistance, but they're
asking for more. And so these fundraisers make it that
(20:02):
more important that they that you raise it you get
more money to because you could run out of money
by at the end of the winter season.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Absolutely, and we even go through the year, funds are
a little low and we might have to adjust our
guidelines a little bit just to make sure that we're
hitting those most vulnerable households. And then we have a
fundraiser and then we can help more families.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So how do you tailor your message? Do you try
to tailor to people who need the assistance or maybe
who can help with the donations, or maybe from a
sponsorship standpoint, or maybe all three.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
It's kind of all that. I mean, definitely, we are
here to help families and we want to make sure
people know that we are available. That's probably our core
message is that what Dollar Energy Fund does. But of
course we could not do that without help from the
generous people who donate, whether that's through their utility bill,
or they make a donation on our website, or they
support us through one of our fundraising events.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
How important is the utility partners.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I mean, we would not be where we are without them,
and that's that's just fact. Without their support every you know,
we would have half the impact we have. We wouldn't
wouldn't be hitting one hundred, or we wouldn't be hitting
a million households helped soon. Without their help, we would
be much lower than that. Who knows if we would
have been able to expand into other markets and help
(21:18):
in other states. It just can't really quantify it.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
It's just part of the utility part I think it's
a I think it's important that we talk again that
if somebody is in a situation where they need utility assistance,
that you need to contact the utility first. That needs
to be your first step right now. Why is that, Well.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
It really is because they want to make sure that
they're getting connected with the best option for you, which
which assistants plan, which assistance program, whether it's one of
theirs or one of ours, because our funds are limited.
So if they can get you set up with maybe
a customer assistance payment plan like a camp payment, that's great.
(22:03):
That'll get you, you know, safe service, you'll be able
to maintain your service throughout the year and then maybe
you don't need that grant from Dollar Energy Fund. Maybe
you need both, maybe you need help from other things
like but to start there at least.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
That there's a lot of people once they they're they
get frustrated, they get the bill, they can't pay it,
and so maybe they're they're they tendency I'm just ripping
or not going to pay it, or I'm not going
to do anything. I'm just going to ignore it, which
is never the answer, right, because they.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Will shut off your service eventually. It will happen if
you don't pay it right.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Or at least talk to them right, find out what
they can do for you. If it's not the Dollar
Energy Fund, they may have a resource that may be
able to help you, or a situation where they can
talk talk it through, give you options right, and what
you can do.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I think it's important thing to mention about the utilities
is that they want you to have safe service, They
want you to be a good customer. They want to
help you all do right. They want to help you,
they want to they have options to help you, whether
that's one of their programs or its or it's you know,
referring them to Dollar Energy Fund. It's it's not like
they're against you. You may seem like it, but they're not.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
They want to help you. But you have to understand
the frustration from all of us. All our bills are
going up and we're frustrated that they're not. We have
to work more to pay the same for the same
amount of light usage.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
And the cost of everything seems to be going up.
So it is frustrating time for a lot of people.
We know that when you're calling you there's an emotional
component to it, but again, just try to make their call.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Make the call.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
That the first step. Yeah, that's the first step, and
you know, hopefully you'll get all the help you can
and you'll be back on your feet and then moving forward.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
And then then they may send you to Dollar Energy Fund.
And what's great by talking to you guys, is that
we talked about this earlier. It's a holistic solution. Not
only are we going to cut you're going to evaluate
their energy assistance needs, find out if they're eligible for
a grant, and then maybe there's other groups that they
(24:08):
can like the food bank or something like along that
so you can or if you need job counseling or
something like that.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Right, help with childcare, help with transportation, help with you know,
even just navigating some of your finances. There there are
organizations in your community that will help you budget, you know,
things like that. So there's all kinds of amazing nonprofits
that we partner with that you just gotta make the
call get with them.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It starts with utilities and then they can have they
can point you in the right direction because they do
want you. They don't want to shut off the power, right,
That's that's dangerous.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And nobody wants anyone to go through the winter in
Pittsburgh and the Colts.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
And it's it's not getting any warmer, all right. So
let's we mentioned our media thing that's coming up in
a couple of weeks, the Request of On. But you
have a number of fundrais as well. You still do
the Warmuthon and that's going to be in the spring.
Do you have any other fund raisers.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
That, Yeah, Well, the Warmthon will be in February on
Katie K Radio. So you can find out more information
about that on Dollar Nation Fund's website right now. We
partner with the Pittsburgh Penguins as well, We have a
promotion with them, as we called the Shirts Off our Back.
So and you can go on Dollar Energy's website now
and you can buy a ticket to be entered to
win a chance at the you know, the last game
(25:27):
of the season. They do the thing where the players
come out and they take off their jersey and they
give it to a fan. You have a chance to
be one of those people who gets the jersey. So
you can find out all the details on our website.
We just we just opened that up for this year
so that you plenty of time. The games play in April,
so and then we also will partner with them. They
do one of their jersey auctions or jersey auction for us,
(25:49):
so the game warn jerseys. This will be later in
the season. You can bid on them and all the
proceeds go to dolls.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
You can smell the sweat.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Yeah, they literally give them to you right off the players.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So, all right, is there anything else you want people
to know about Dollar Energy Fund?
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I think just the most important thing. There's two things.
One is that if you need help, Dollar Energy Fund
is available to help you with gas, water, electric wastewater
in western Pennsylvania. Chances are one of your utility companies,
if not all of them, are one that we partner
with and we can help you if you have you
have that need, you meet our income requirements and they're
(26:27):
like set up to two hundred and fifty some utilities
even up to three hundred. The other thing is if
you are able to help. I know there's so many
amazing causes out there, but Dollar Energy Fund we just
do utility assistance. We're very efficient. We also get a
separate donation from Mary Utility Partners to help cover our overheads.
So a lot of what we do and the money
(26:47):
we take, we can take that right back out the
door one hundred percent to help families that needs. So
your donation is being used very wisely. It's being matched
dollar for dollar, and it's having a huge impact in
the community right here.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
All right, tell us more about the request of thun the.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Request on I'm so excited because I want to hear
the songs. I want to know what people are going
to request this year. I was trying to think of
that am I drive in today, like what are going
to be the crazy songs people are going to ask
Johnny to play on the radio. But so November fifteen sixth.
If you listen to three WS tune in during the
day and you can hear all the details of how
to call in, how to make a donation, you go
on our website. You actually can go on our website
(27:21):
now and get your donation in the front and your
song request at the front of the dollar dot org
slash request that on make a donation, put in your
song request, play it first thing on November fifth. But yeah,
so if you donate fifteen dollars a month or total
of one hundred and eighty dollars, you're entered for a
Neighborhood Hero incentive packages this year. I heard we have
(27:44):
all kinds of crazy things we're giving away. I think tickets,
sporting tickets, concert tickets, Like we're going.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
To have a special auction we're going to have. Yeah,
we're gonna this is our tenth year a.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Grand prize this year. Did you hear what your grandparents
untilities for years? So we're going to take Oh wow,
it's like an average utility costs for a year, and
that's what our grand prize.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Winner is getting to know that. Yes, oh so we're
breaking news here. Yes, that's awesome. Yeah, so I cannot wait. Well,
there'll be. I won't tell you the number now because
you won't remember it, and plus I don't have it
in front of you, even though I've said it ten
years in a row. I'm so sad, I know. But
it's always a fantastic time. It's and it's it's crazy.
It's like bedlam when you know, when we kick this
(28:26):
thing off, the phone lines open, people start requesting songs
and making donations. It goes for a great cause, and
of course whatever you give also gets doubled by the utilities.
We have plenty of you know, our corporate sponsors that
are going to help out in raising money for the
Dollar Energy Fund. That all that money stays right here
in Pittsburgh too, that's very important. So Jody, it's always
(28:47):
great to see you, and I guess I'll see you
in a couple of weeks and it's going to be
a busy couple of days.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Huh yep, looking forward to it all right.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
Once again, if you want any information on the Dollar
Energy Fund, go to the website. But first con Tach
Utility Company. If you're in that situation, you submit an application,
you'll receive a grant. But if you get. If you
really want more information, go to their website dollar energy
dot org. That's dollar energy dot org. Jody, thank you
so much. Thank you as always. If you have any comments,
(29:15):
concern or an idea for a future program, please email
us from this radio station's website. I'm Johnny Hartwell, thank
you so much for listening. Mom's early Alzheimer's sagnosis was hard.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
To take, and when I looked the oven on, we
decided together that it was time to see a doctor
and make a plan.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Early detection gave us more time to see, gout information
and support as a family.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
If you or your family or noticing changes, it could
be Alzheimer's talk about seeing a doctor together. For more information,
visit alz dot org. Slash time to Talk. A message
from the Alzheimer's Association and the ad counts well.
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