Stream Energy is kicking off 2013 with a variety of good news for people who are looking to join the family of satisfied Stream Energy customers. Check it out:

• On January 14, 2013, Stream Energy introduced a rate plan exclusively for new Texas electricity customers. The “New Friends Plan” is geared towards helping electric customers in Texas lock in a very competitive rate which will serve them well throughout 2013. Please visit this page to see Stream Energy’s 12-month “New Friends” Plan rates for all service areas of Texas. To take advantage of this terrific new plan, click here.
• Stream Energy also just lowered the deposits required of new customers in Texas (was $250; now $125) and Georgia (was $150; now $75). We cut those deposits in half to help our new friends get on board so they can enjoy the Stream Difference as quickly as possible.
• Stream Energy announced lowered electricity rates in Pennsylvania on January 3 and lowered natural gas rates in Georgia on January 5. Coupled with our already attractive rates in the Northeast and our New Friends Plan in Texas, we have a very cost-attractive suite of products to meet your family’s energy needs.
• Stream Energy ushered in the New Year in grand style, thanks to our third year as the Big D NYE Fireworks Spectacular sponsor. The event drew more than 35,000 attendees and was broadcast to over six and a half million people in five states. Stream Energy again used its sponsorship platform to highlight the work of Captain Hope’s Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving homeless children. In 2012, Captain Hope’s Kids touched the lives of roughly 40,000 children in North Texas.
• Next month, Stream Energy is again expecting thousands of highly motivated Ignite entrepreneurs to descend upon Dallas for a three-day extravaganza we call Ignition. Each year, Ignition presses on the accelerator of our business and pushes us forward.

It’s an exciting time for Stream Energy, and we’re only getting started. Give us a shout - we’d love to show you why we’re “Your Best Friend’s Energy Company.”

As the calendar continues to grow closer to Christmas, many around the world begin to show their love for others by contributing to those in need.

At Stream Energy, one of our founding principles since 2004 has been to show compassion to others and those less fortunate.

This week, Stream Energy released several announcements of charitable endeavors, beginning with donations to the Utility Emergency Services Fund (UESF) in Philadelphia and also to the Red Cross in response to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

Stream Energy also announced that the firm will again sponsor the Big D NYE Fireworks Spectacular in downtown Dallas on New Year’s Eve.

The event draws more than 35,000 attendees and is broadcast to over six and a half million people in five states. Stream Energy will again use its sponsorship platform to highlight the work of Captain Hope’s Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving homeless children across North Texas.

If you would like to help contribute to any of Stream Energy’s charitable endeavors this holiday season, please join us in our cause by visiting our “Giving Back” page on our website.

Stream Energy is the parent company of Ignite, the world’s largest network marketer of energy. Together, they have generated $5 billion in total revenues in less than eight years.

The firm is a proud member of numerous associations and industry groups:

Better Business Bureau
Direct Selling Association
Retail Energy Supply Association
North Texas Commission
ERCOT Board of Directors
National Energy Marketers Association Executive Committee
Captain Hope’s Kids Board of Directors

In its brief history, the firm has been a multiple recipient of various awards and honors:

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year / Southwest Region Award
Platts Global Energy Awards
American Business Awards
Communicator Award of Distinction
Corporate Philanthropy Award / Philadelphia
Top Workplace – National Standard Designation
KEMA Executive Forum Speaker
Big D NYE Fireworks Sponsor
Dallas 100 Entrepreneur Award
Dallas Chamber Momentum Award
Genesys Customer Innovation Award

If you want to be successful, then you owe it to yourself to partner with the proven leader of relationship marketers of energy – Stream Energy and Ignite.

By Internet Communications Editor Brian Hale

Bottoms up! Stream Energy is collecting diapers for Captain Hope’s Kids during our annual Diaper Drive, which runs from Thursday, June 14 – Thursday, June 28.

Stream Energy employees have supported this great cause for many years in many ways. From the annual Toy Drive in December to Stream Energy’s annual publicity exposure for Captain Hope’s Kids during the televised downtown Dallas New Year’s Eve celebration, the Stream Energy family fully supports this very worthy cause.

As an Ignite Associate, you can also be a part of something great. The 2012 Diaper Drive runs from Thursday, June 14 – Thursday, June 28. Drop off size 5 and 6 diapers and/or 4T/5T training pants to the Ignite Corporate Headquarters in Dallas.

If you cannot get to the corporate office but would still like to assist Dallas-area children, you may do so by making a financial donation to Captain Hope’s Kids.

Thank you for your support of Stream Energy’s annual Diaper Drive benefiting Captain Hope’s Kids. Stream Energy, Captain Hope’s Kids and the children of Dallas thank you very much!

Don’t forget that Stream Energy will once again sponsor the WFAA Big D New Year’s Eve fireworks spectacular in Victory Park. Also, be sure to visit the Stream Energy YouTube channel to catch a sneak peek at the upcoming television promotional spots.

With over 35,000 people in attendance and simulcast to over 6.6 million households across Texas and beyond, the Big D NYE 2012 event is one of the largest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the United States.

Besides the WFAA viewing area in North Texas, the broadcast will be shown through 21 affiliate stations:

1.Abilene/Sweetwater, TX – KTAB CBS
2.Alexandria, LA – KALB CBS
3.Amarillo, TX – KCPN MyTV
4.Austin, TX – KVUE ABC
5.Beaumont / Port Arthur – KFDM CBS
6.Bryan / College Station – KBTX CW
7.Corpus Christi – KZTV CBS
8.Dallas, TX – WFAA ABC
9.EL Paso, TX/Las Cruces, NM – KVIA CW
10.Houston, TX – KHOU.2 CBS
11.Lafayette, LA – KLFY CBS
12.Lawton, OK – KAUZ CBS
13.Lubbock – KAMC CBS
14.New Orleans – WUPL CW
15.Odessa / Midland – KOSA CBS
16.San Angelo, TX – KLST CBS
17.Shreveport, LA – KSHV MyTV
18.Tyler, TX – KYTX CBS
19.Waco / Temple / Killeen – KWTX CBS
20.Wichita, KS – KWCH or KSCW
21.Wichita Falls, TX – KAUZ CBS

“We are very excited to usher in the New Year as part of the Big D NYE event,” said Stream Energy Chairman Rob Snyder. “We’ll use this occasion to feature the work of Captain Hope’s Kids, a non-profit advocacy for homeless children. In the broadcast, we will be joined by ORIX Foundation who will present Captain Hope’s Kids with a sizeable financial grant.”

ORIX Foundation, a Texas-based non-profit corporation, was established to support local non-profits that care for children, families and veterans.

For this upcoming New Year’s Eve, Stream Energy will once again sponsor the New Year’s Eve fireworks show in downtown Dallas, as part of the Big D NYE 2012 event.

We’re going to use that platform to highlight Captain Hope’s Kids and the work they’re doing to bring relief to the homeless children in North Texas.

Recently, we followed Stream Energy Chairman Rob Snyder as he visited the WFAA studios to film one of the commercial spots that will air on New Year’s Eve. Check out the video for a “behind the scenes” look…

Buddha once said, “If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten your path.” The truth in this saying is undeniable. If an individual ever feels down and defeated, a person’s actions or words has the power to bring them back up. Anyone and everyone has been helped at some point in his or her life. There is no doubt that both giving and receiving help is a crucial aspect of life.

There are many organizations in our society that aim to help those less fortunate. Your friends at Stream Energy have selected four particular organizations to support: three of these organizations help low-income families pay their energy bills; the fourth group supports children, which definitely has a special place in the hearts of Stream Energy’s employees, Ignite Associates and customers.

The Fuel Fund of Maryland has been operating since 1981; its purpose is to help low-income individuals and families in Maryland pay their electricity bills. If energy is unaffordable for a family, the Fuel Fund assists them. The Fuel Fund pays for families and individuals with the portion of the bill that they cannot afford.

A similar organization to the Fuel Fund is the Heating Energy Assistance Team (H.E.A.T) of Georgia. H.E.A.T has been helping low-income families and individuals for over 27 years with paying their energy bills. They not only depend on donations and volunteer work, but also on the donations of energy suppliers and corporations.

The Utility Emergency Services Fund (UESF) of Pennsylvania is yet another organization that assists those with their electricity bills. In the case of UESF, however, those that are being assisted are not limited to receiving help on only their electricity. They are also assisted with water and gas utilities. UESF’s mission is to help individuals meet the basic needs vital to their survival. 

Although Captain Hope’s Kids of Texas differs from the other three organizations mentioned above, this organization is every bit as relevant. Captain Hope’s Kids is focused on meeting the needs of homeless children. On any given night in North Texas, more than 1,100 children will fall asleep in homeless and domestic violence shelters. Of these, 65 percent will be under the age of nine and 28 percent are infants and toddlers under the age 3 years. Women and children make up 48 percent of Metro Dallas’ homeless population. Many of the employees and customers of Stream Energy have kids of their own and can definitely relate to the need for providing for children.

As a company that emphasizes customer satisfaction, it is fair to say that Stream Energy not only has the ability, but also takes the opportunity to assist those in need. We invite our customers and Ignite Associates to join us in helping those in need “experience the Stream difference.”

Jobs.

They’re not easy things to love.

But on some days, they surprise you.

The best days are when you can look back and say you participated in something really worthwhile – something that transcended the everyday boundaries of “job,” “paycheck” and “career.”

For Stream Energy, yesterday was one of those days.

As you may know, we’ve been engaged in an ongoing support effort for Captain Hope’s Kids, a homeless children’s advocacy here in North Texas. Their mission is to serve the most vulnerable among us – namely, homeless children and infants.

One of the ways we’ve been helping out is by way of an annual employee-sponsored diaper drive. For 2011, we learned yesterday that Stream Energy again set a record for diaper donations.

(It bears mentioning that, as part of our festivities in celebrating the new diaper record yesterday, our friends of the Pizza Hut Corporate Social Responsibility team very generously donated pizza for a pizza party we threw for our 277 employees. Thank you, Pizza Hut; we really appreciate you!)

You may not be aware of the need for diapers among the homeless population. Most of us, when we think of homeless people, tend to think of single men. However, according to a recent news report a mom with two kids is now more likely to be counted among the homeless:

“The 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that since 2007, the number of people in families who are homeless has increased by 19.8 percent. Based on reports from shelter providers nationwide, HUD estimates that people in families now make up 35.6 percent of the country’s homeless population on any given night. That compares with 29.8 percent in 2007.

Homelessness among individuals declined 6.4 percent during the same period.

Overall, HUD estimated that nearly 1,593,150 people were homeless in 2009-10, with 567,334 being from families. That compares with an estimate of 1,581,595 homeless people in 2006-07, with 473,541 from families.”

For non-profits such as Captain Hope’s Kids, budgets are pretty tight in this economy. Donations are critical for the success of their missions. Our friends at Captain Hope’s Kids helped us understand just how important a little thing like a diaper donation is:

“So far this year we have been providing over 8,600 diapers per week to homeless infants and toddlers that are served by almost 40 local agencies. This donation represents two full months of product for us and will close the gap caused by the recent price hike by diaper manufacturers. This donation is exactly the type of collective effort that helps Captain Hope’s Kids keep hope alive for children who are affected by homelessness.” – Carey McMann of the Captain Hope’s Kids board of directors

As recently shown on 60 Minutes, more and more families are being affected by homelessness. It is this knowledge that is inspiring Stream Energy to do our small part. And we are looking for help.

If you are interested in helping Captain Hope’s Kids, we encourage you to visit an online webpage that allows our community to make a direct donation to this worthy charity.

Stream Energy, the largest network marketer of energy in the world, is taking the next step in our ongoing commitment to Captain Hope’s Kids, a charitable organization which meets the critical needs of homeless children.

As previously announced, we have launched an online webpage that allows our friends to make a direct donation to this worthy charity, as part of our campaign called “A Big Difference Starts Small.”

Participation is very easy. Simply visit the online webpage where you can elect to make a charitable donation in the amount of your choosing.

“We are very proud to draw deserved attention to Captain Hope’s Kids, which in 2009 touched the lives of 32,000 children from homeless families,” said Stream Energy Chairman Rob Snyder. “Families with children make up 47 percent of the homeless population in the Dallas metropolitan area. Captain Hope’s Kids provides needed goods and services to these unfortunates – and Stream Energy is going to help.”

Today our friends at Captain Hope’s Kids launched an “Awareness Boom” to help spread awareness about the plight of homeless children in North Texas.

Stream Energy is a committed supporter of Captain Hope’s Kids, and we are pleased to help promote today’s Awareness Boom as part of our ongoing support campaign called “A Big Difference Starts Small,” which Stream Energy Chairman Rob Snyder ushered in on New Year’s Eve.

But we need the help of our employees, customers and Ignite Associates.

As part of this effort, we have created an online webpage that allows our community to make a direct donation to this worthy charity.

Another thing we’re doing to help Captain Hope’s Kids is through the sale of Ignite-branded license plates via the state of Texas. For every Ignite-branded license plate sold, a portion of the revenues is given to Captain Hope’s Kids. Stream Energy and Ignite will not receive any revenue from the sale of these plates.

As Rob has said previously, “We are very proud to draw deserved attention to Captain Hope’s Kids, which in 2009 touched the lives of 32,000 children from homeless families. Families with children make up 47 percent of the homeless population in the Dallas metropolitan area. Captain Hope’s Kids provides needed goods and services to these unfortunates – and Stream Energy is going to help.”

Anything you can do to help us make today’s Awareness Boom a success is greatly appreciated. Please spread the word and make a donation today.