Suncor Energy Foundation donates nearly $3 million to 293 charitable organizations in 2000

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For Immediate Release

Suncor Energy Foundation donates nearly $3 million to 293 charitable organizations in 2000

CANADA, ALBERTA, CALGARY, May. 25 -/E-Wire/-- The Suncor Energy Foundation, created to manage corporate donations for Suncor Energy Inc., today announced it gave

$2.8 million to 293 charitable organizations in 2000. The contribution was announced

as part of the Foundation's 2000 Year in Review publication.

"It's been an exciting year for the Foundation," said Sue Lee, senior vice president,

Human Resources and Communications of Suncor Energy Inc. and president of the Suncor

Energy Foundation. "As a company committed to social responsibility, one of our top

priorities is to give back to the communities where our employees live and work

through community investment activities. One of the most tangible results of this

commitment has been our Foundation, which in just two years has nearly doubled in

terms of its total donations to charitable organizations."

According to the Year in Review, the Foundation's donations increased 12 per cent

over 1999 and 87 per cent in 1998. In 2000, the Foundation focused its donations in

three areas: environmental initiatives, education in science and technology, and

communities. Key initiatives that reflected this focus included:

* the Evergreen Foundation's activities to ecologically restore large urban sites and

school grounds, and to educate homeowners about environmental stewardship in

residential spaces. Half of the company's $600,000 contribution to Evergreen in 2000

was awarded to major urban environmental projects in Alberta (Calgary and Fort

McMurray), and Sarnia, Ontario.

* creation of the Aboriginal Mine Operations Program at Keyano College in Fort

McMurray in response to increased interest in employment in the oil sands industry.

* Edmonton Space and Science Centre's Science in Motion program to provide science

and technology education programs to northern and central regions of Alberta.

* support for the YMCA's Child Development Centre in Fort McMurray to provide needed

* Child Friendly Calgary's Youth Volunteer Corps program to provide youth with

opportunities to develop volunteerism, leadership and citizenship with the community.

* Suncor Energy Foundation Clean Energy Laboratory at the University of British

Columbia to provide a training environment for the exploration of alternative and

renewable forms of energy. In 2000, the Foundation and Suncor employees teamed up to donate more than $945,000

(or approximately $310 per employee) to United Way campaigns in Calgary, Fort

McMurray, Sarnia and Toronto.

To complement the Foundation's activities, the company also continued to encourage

the volunteer efforts of its employees. Through the 'We Care Connection', an

employee-driven volunteer organization, Suncor's Calgary employees donated more than

1,500 hours to support 15 non-profit organizations in the city. In Fort McMurray,

employees contributed more than 75 hours to renovate the YMCA's Child Development

Centre. In Ontario, Sunoco employees took part in tree planting, neighborhood

clean-ups and nature conservation activities through Earth Day events in London,

Barrie, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton. As part of Sunoco's franchising

agreement, Sunoco retailers also donated hundreds of hours of volunteer time to

community projects, including raising donations for Habitat for Humanity, an

organization that works in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable

"Through the Foundation's corporate donations and the volunteerism of our employees,

our goal is to play a very tangible role in helping to publicly demonstrate Suncor's

commitment to social responsibility," says Cathy Glover, manager, Suncor Energy

Foundation. "This is a commitment that will continue to increase as our business grows

and as we look for new opportunities to make a meaningful and measurable difference to

communities across Canada."

Suncor is an Imagine Program "Caring Company," as defined by the Canadian Centre for

Philanthropy. The company allocates a minimum of one per cent of average domestic

pre-tax profits to the Foundation and community contributions each year.

The Suncor Energy Foundation is a private, not-profit charitable foundation

established to manage and administer the company's community investment programs

through donations to Canadian charitable organizations. Suncor Energy is an integrated

Canadian energy company. Suncor's Oil Sands business mines and upgrades oil sand and

markets custom-blended refinery feedstock and premium transportation fuels, near Fort

McMurray in Northern Alberta. Suncor is also a conventional natural gas producer in

Western Canada; and operates a refining and marketing business in Ontario under the

Sunoco brand. At the same time as Suncor meets today's energy needs, the company

invests in alternative and renewable energy for the future. Suncor Energy's common

shares and preferred securities are listed for trading on the Toronto and New York

Suncor Energy Foundation

http://www.suncor.com

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