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Official Press Release Statement: July 5, 2006

Official Press Release Statement: July 5, 2006

Melanie DiLeo, Chairwoman, Board of Directors, Cool Down St. Louis

Regarding AmerenUE’s “Be Cool” Gift of 225 Air Conditioner,

The Need IS Even Greater

The Board of Directors of Cool Down St. Louis is thrilled at the generosity of AmerenUE’s and Walmart’s gift of 225 air-conditioners to the Jefferson County and St. Louis City/County area. We believe that the Urban League will do a tremendous job in identifying those seniors in need. We applaud AmerenUE for being a good corporate citizen.

However, the need is significantly higher in the St. Louis region. There are more than 500,000 seniors from the age of 62 years and older in the greater St. Louis area. Many of them are disabled, having health-issues and are on fixed incomes. They are still struggling with their utility bills and many do not have units.

Cool Down St. Louis and its 13 other social service partners in 16 Missouri and Illinois Counties, including the City of St. Louis are still in dire need of additional 2,000 new air-conditioners, as well as about $100,000 in tax-deductible cash donations to help the elderly and disabled with their summer electric bills.

We urge AmerenUE and other corporate citizens to provide additional air-conditioners in the marketplace, based on the need, and we also readily encourage individuals to donate new units as well as provide tax-deductible donations to Cool Down St. Louis. 100% of all donations are used to service the needy elderly and disabled this summer, as all expenses are underwritten.

Cool Down St. Louis, an independent, all-volunteer, non-utility summer cooling charity is in desperate need of funds. To donate a new or used-air unit in working condition, please call the Cool Down Resource Hotline at 314-241-7668. Checks and money orders made payable to Cool Down St. Louis or may be dropped off at any UMB Bank teller in Missouri and Illinois. In addition, contributors can send tax-deductible donations to Cool Down St. Louis, c/o UMB Bank, P.O. Box 868, St. Louis, MO 63188, or log-on to www.cooldownstlouis.org.

Editor’s Note: Last Week “Cool Down St. Louis,” kicked-off its, independent grassroots, “Be A Good Neighbor, Check On Your Neighbor,” summer program and its fifth year of appeal for air-conditioners for local firms and individuals as well as tax-deductible donations. AmerenUE’s corporate “Be Cool Program” may provide some confusion in the marketplace. We therefore are issuing a critical release to encourage the region to still continue to provided units as well as donations to Cool Down, which is 100% all-volunteer, and 100% of all funds are tax-deductible and go to servicing the needy as all expenses are underwritten by a 46-member diverse board. Please consider parts of our statement or a graph as a tag to the AmerenUE’s “Be Cool” story. We deeply appreciate it.

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