25 2010 ANNUAL REPORT to selected students pursuing careers in finance, economics, accounting,  marketing, business administration, computer science and information  technology. In addition, scholars will take part in a Chesapeake Presiden- tial Leadership Course facilitated by faculty members in coordination with  designated Chesapeake leadership coaches, including a Chesapeake senior  vice president and OCU alumni.  In 2007 Chesapeake launched a scholarship program in Texas with an  initial $1.25 million contribution, challenging the cities of Fort Worth and Dal- las to match its gift within a year. The cities responded and matched the gift,  so Chesapeake in 2008 added another $1.25 million to the fund, bringing the  total to $3.75 million. The Chesapeake Scholarship Fund currently funds the  cost of higher education for 48 minority students. The fund provides each  student $20,000 a year for up to four years at the school of their choice. To  date more than $1.0 million has been distributed to deserving local students. To help ensure the training of qualified geologists, engineers, land- men and energy lawyers in the next generation, we award scholarships  to students pursuing energy-related degrees. We also help mentor them  through Chesapeake’s Peak Program. Junior- and senior-level scholarship  recipients are paired with Chesapeake employee mentors who help devel- op students’ knowledge and provide career advice. There are currently 25  mentors and 40 scholarship recipients participating in the Peak Program.  Our recruiting team also initiated a strategic military recruitment  effort during the past two years to hire former military personnel to  work in a variety of leadership and crew positions. This effort earned  Chesapeake an honor from G.I. JOBS magazine when we were named a  2011 Top 100 Military-Friendly Employer. Chesapeake currently employs  37 men and women who formerly served as junior military officers and  more than 100 former servicemen and servicewomen who joined the  company through a program called Troops 2 Roughnecks. In addition to our specific scholarship programs, one-time educational  donations and recruitment efforts, in 2010 we gave more than $1.8 million  to fund higher education for nearly 400 other students in 12 states through  our Chesapeake Scholars program. Chesapeake’s scholarships help recruit  the best and brightest students and provide educational opportunities in  communities where we operate. In Oklahoma City, more than 400 em- ployees volunteer for up to an hour a week on company time at four local  public schools. Chesapeake’s program has grown to become the largest  corporate mentoring program in Oklahoma. Chesapeake employees have been enriching their hometowns as volun- teers for many years. We formalized those efforts in 2009 by establishing  an official employee volunteer program, the H.E.L.P. (Helping Energize Local Progress) Initiative, wherein employees are invited to volunteer  each month for a variety of organizations from food pantries to animal  shelters. Through that program, employees donated more than 26,000  hours to their communities in 2009.  In the summer of 2010, Chesapeake took the H.E.L.P. Initiative to a  higher level through the launch of Operation Blue. From Memorial Day  through Labor Day, each employee was given four hours of company time  to complete the volunteer project of their choice. Our employees eagerly  accepted the challenge, and in three months more than 4,900 employ- ees donated 30,900 hours of service to 519 organizations in more than 96 communities across the country. Operation Blue is now an annual By investing in the communities where we operate and the people  whose lives we touch, we ensure a stronger today and a more hope-  ful tomorrow. We supported servicemen and servicewomen by partnering with the  Shreveport Chapter of Operation Support Our Troops, Inc. Our contribution  helped offset the postage to send more than 100 care packages to troops  overseas. The shipment was the largest in the organization’s history and  included Christmas cards, games and nonperishable food items. To help cultivate an appreciation for the great outdoors, in 2010 Chesapeake provided $25,000 to REAL School Gardens, a Fort Worth-  based organization that establishes gardens at approximately 70 lower income elementary schools in North Texas. At I.M. Terrell Elementary  School, students, parents, teachers and volunteers from Chesapeake and  other groups worked together to prepare vegetable gardens and flower  beds. In addition to teamwork skills and gardening, students learned  about nutrition and took home food from the garden’s bounty.  sponsorship of the annual Day of Caring at the Ganus Center of Harding  University in White County, Arkansas. During the event, approximately  1,200 uninsured or underinsured residents received a day of free medical,  dental and eye screenings.  Chesapeake partners with other companies and organizations to meet  basic, practical needs in hundreds of communities. An example is our  For example, in Louisiana we donated 12 vehicles in 2010, including  one to the Panola College Oil and Natural Gas Technology Program, which  teaches students about the natural gas industry and provides them with  hands-on technical training. Across many of the company’s operating  areas, we’ve donated computers to deserving students, schools and  organizations through Chesapeake’s Discovering Tomorrow’s Leaders  program. In 2010 the company equipped 14 students with laptops and  donated 70 computers to schools or supporting nonprofit organizations. Chesapeake’s contributions take many forms: financial and equipment  donations, volunteerism and scholarships. Last year, we made numerous  in-kind donations of laptops, reconditioned Chesapeake fleet vehicles and  subsidized office space. These contributions provide essential operating  tools as nonprofit organizations across the nation attempt to serve more  people — often with lower budgets — in tough economic times. volunteer program in which employees roll up their sleeves in the com- munities they call home. Putting food on the table — Employees volunteer at the Regional Food Bank  of Oklahoma as part of Operation Blue. Community Impact