Junior Achievement Finance Park® to promote financial literacy among 9,000 students

Washington Gas joined Junior Achievement of Greater Washington today for the grand opening of JA Finance Park® Prince George’s County, the first youth financial literacy supercenter in Maryland. There are 18 JA Finance Park® facilities nationwide, committed to inspiring middle school students to be financially capable and tenacious. The new park is located on the campus of G. James Gholson Middle/Cora L. Rice Elementary Schools in Landover, Md., and will serve every eighth grader in the County, or 9,000 Prince George’s County Public Schools students per year, as well as students from surrounding districts, including the District.

“Washington Gas has been a part of the D.C. metro area for over 166 years, and we consistently look for new ways to promote education and inspiration in these communities,” said Marcellous Frye, Vice President of Support Services for Washington Gas. “We fully support Junior Achievement’s dedication to providing our next generation of leaders with the financial acumen they need to succeed.”

Washington Gas and Pepco jointly developed the energy education experience at JA Finance Park®, aptly named the “YOU-tility Challenge.” The challenge includes an interactive 3-D house where students can explore ways in which natural gas and electricity keep important appliances running room-by-room. A corresponding touch-screen game allows students to test their knowledge of how houses are powered, and provides tips for saving both energy and money.

The “YOU-tility Challenge” is one of many storefronts at the Finance Park, where the full-day curriculum provides students with real-life scenarios, including factors such as income and family size. Students then visit various storefronts where everyday expenses, from utilities to groceries, have to be balanced in a budget. Upon completing the program, 90 percent of graduates have reported feeling more confident in their ability to be successful in the future. The park opened to students on September 29, 2015, and Washington Gas employees served as volunteer teaching instructors to help guide the new students through the curriculum and to provide energy answers.

“JA Finance Park® is about inspiring a generation of Prince George’s County youth to be financially capable. It’s about giving them power to make the right financial choices and a new perspective on why staying in school and setting college and career goals is important to their ability to achieve their dreams,” said Ed Grenier, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. “We are thrilled that Maryland’s first JA Finance Park® will be right here in Prince George’s County, and are so thankful to partners like Washington Gas who join with us in our commitment to the boundless potential of these young people. The future starts today—and it starts right here within these walls.”

By the end of 2017, Maryland will be home to two JA Finance Park® facilities when Montgomery County opens on the fourth floor of the new Thomas Edison High School of Technology building in the Fall of 2017. The first JA Finance Park® opened in Fairfax, Virginia, in October, 2010. To date, more than 71,000 students have become JA Finance Park® Graduates through more than 1.6 million instructional hours, 86 school visits from 9 school systems throughout the region. There are 18 JA Finance Park® facilities nationwide. To learn more about JA Finance Park® in Prince George's County, partnership and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.myJA.org.

About Washington Gas

Washington Gas Light Company is a regulated natural gas utility providing safe, reliable natural gas service to more than 1.1 million customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. A subsidiary of WGL Holdings, Inc., the company has been providing energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers for more than 166 years.

About WGL

WGL (NYSE: WGL), headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a leading source for clean, efficient and diverse energy solutions. With activities and assets across the U.S., WGL consists of Washington Gas, WGL Energy, WGL Midstream and Hampshire Gas. 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 www.wgl.com.

About Junior Achievement Greater Washington

Since 1965, Junior Achievement of Greater Washington has inspired the next generation to be financially capable and tenacious, equipped with the tools to solve problems creatively, manage risk effectively, and welcome opportunity. Through our innovative financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship K-12 programs, we inspire the next generation to navigate their path to the American Dream. This year, Junior Achievement will deliver its programs to more than 63,000 K-12 students throughout the region. In the last 50 years, JA® has impacted the lives of almost 800,000 young people in Maryland, the District, and Virginia.

Washington GasNews Media:Jim Monroe, 202-624-6620orFinancial Community:Douglas Bonawitz, 202-624-6129

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