Power of Good

PowerofGood.com | Summer 2014 15 In February, 15 volunteers arrived at the cottage with paint, brushes and cleaning supplies in hand. They spent the first day paint- ing walls of the great room a pale gray, with yellow above the picture molding. On the following day, they finished the job by painting the trim around the doors and windows. APSO members returned in March for their third workday. To give the kitchen a cheery feel, the volun- teers painted it bright yellow, trimmed in navy blue. The parlor, the room where girls visit friends and family, was also updated. To make the room cozier, June Johnson, the mother-in-law of Talladega Customer Service Representa- tive Breanna Walker, sewed green and navy print cushion covers for the couches and chairs. APSO also bought and hung several pictures. "The furniture was covered with a maroon nylon fabric and looked like it belonged in a doctor's office," King said. "With the new slipcovers, it looks more like teenage girls live there and not somebody's grandma." Allen Whisenant said helping with the project was a pleasure. "We see the kids around town and they wave and holler, 'Hey, we love you, Alabama Power,'" said Whisenant, Talladega crew foreman. "They really appreciate what we are doing for them." "I wanted to be part of this project because I think it's impor- tant work they do there – taking children in who don't have anywhere else to go," said Angie Fortner, bud- get analyst, Eastern Division Office. "It makes you feel good to make a difference in these children's lives." Along with helping with the trim and walls, Fortner painted a bold chevron design on the parti- tion between the great room and the kitchen, adding a special touch to the more modern look of the rooms. To further decorate the great room, King's wife, Cheryl, created fabric-covered wall hang- ings and lettered a rustic wooden sign with inspira- tional quotes. She sewed gray, yellow and blue print curtains to match the great room walls. APSO continued the renova- tions in April. Using colors selected by the girls, they painted three bed- rooms green and a fourth blue. "This has been a wonderful gift to us," said Karla Conway, director of Resource Development, Presby- terian Home for Children. "The whole cottage needed a face-lift. The girls love having something that's so fresh and modern." In addition to the work in the cottage, Talladega APSO filled eight baskets with towels, a set of sheets, a comforter, hangers, a Bible and a stuffed animal. The baskets are given to children entering the facility to help them feel at home. King said employees from the Talladega Office and Crew Head- quarters, local operations linemen and Anniston Office volunteered for the painting project. "It has been a great opportunity for us to do something for somebody else instead of just giving money," King said. "These kids know that somebody cares enough about them to take time to paint a wall where they live." For more information about Presbyterian Home for Children, visit www.phcf.org. The Presbyterian Home for Children houses up to 40 girls and boys in its residential foster care facility houses.

• Cover