POWERGRAMS

APSO Kimberly Collins' heartfelt resolution to own a home by year's end came true, thanks to her hard work and a helping hand from Alabama Power Service Organization Magic City Chapter volunteers. "I brought in 2018 telling my kids, 'This is our year. Mama is going to get a house before the year is out,'" said Collins. "Then, a friend told me about Habitat for Humanity, and I decided to try my luck. It hasn't been easy, but I made it." More than 200 volunteers from the Magic City APSO Chapter and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers joined forces on Oct. 17-26 to build a Habitat for Humanity home for Collins and her three children: Kamron, 15, Kamari, 11, and Jamerriah, 6. It marked the 24th home that Magic City Chapter volunteers and Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity had built together – a partnership that reached back 20 years. The chapter built its first home in response to the deadly April 8, 1998, tornadoes that hit Alabama. Charles Moore, president and CEO of Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity, commended Magic City volunteers for their tireless efforts year after year to help provide homes for local families. "There's such a need for affordable housing," said Moore. "Our families work very hard, and contribute their sweat equity and a down payment, but at the end of the day, it would be totally impossible for us to do this without groups like Alabama Power, the Alabama Power Service Organization, the IBEW and the many thousands of volunteers who participate with us on these projects." In just 10 days, APSO and IBEW volunteers turned a pile of dirt in Pleasant Grove into a family home. They worked from sunup to sundown, hammering boards, painting walls, installing sheetrock and laying floors. Heather Stacks was one of the many volunteers on-site every day. She helped coordinate meals and other project logistics, install siding and clean walls. "I just love helping people," said Stacks, Power Delivery specialist. "Kimberly is working hard to provide for her kids. Anything we can do to help her provide her children with a nice home – I'm all about that." Troy Sanderson said with 20 years under their belts, it's no wonder that raising a home in a matter of days is no sweat for Alabama Power volunteers. "It's a hectic schedule," said Sanderson, who has lost count of the number of APSO Habitat homes he has helped build. "It's a lot of work in a short time frame. To get it all in, we know that each day, we've got to complete the work for that day to get to the finished product. Over the years, the process has evolved, and now it's almost like clockwork." The four-bedroom, two-bath, all-electric home was equipped with an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, Energy Star appliances and an electric water heater. It received high marks using the industry standard for grading efficiency: the Home Energy Rating System (HERS). Birmingham Division Residential Marketing Specialist Kevin Williams, project co-coordinator with Steven Guy, PD Budget and Planning engineer, said building the home was a team effort. Alabama Power organizations that joined APSO and the IBEW in the project included Birmingham Division Marketing and External Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Corporate Real Estate, General Services, Charitable Giving, Power Delivery, Revenue Accounting/Billing, Public Relations, and Corporate Marketing and Business Development. "We had groups from all across the power company, as well as corporate partners, who have donated either equipment, man-hours or food," said Williams. "The community, the company and APSO have come together to help the Collins family. Knowing that all the work we are doing is benefiting this family is heartwarming." Habitat for Humanity helps make it easier for low-income families to buy their own home. The houses are not free, by any means. Families are required to complete 300 hours of "sweat equity" on their own and other homes, attend 10 homebuyer education workshops, and pay a zero- interest mortgage and down payment. TRIUMPHING OVER TORNADOES APSO's first Habitat house was the brainchild of Susan Ernst, who was Magic City APSO president in 1998. At the time, the chapter was looking for opportunities to get more employees, particularly those in the field, involved in the organization, Ernst said. But more importantly, that home, along with 11 subsequent houses, was APSO's way of restoring and rebuilding the hard-hit Birmingham- area communities that had been devastated by the April 8, 1998, tornadoes. "Our crews were among the first to respond and witness the death and destruction caused by those tornadoes, so it became apparent that working to rebuild what had been destroyed could serve as a healing process for those same employees," said Ernst, budget analyst, Strategy, Programs and Intelligence. "When you meet the families, and work side by side with them and see their heartfelt appreciation, it becomes a win-win situation for the builders as well as the families receiving the homes. I think that is why this program has lasted so long, and why, for each home we have built, we always have both new and returning volunteers who can't wait to come back to help with the next home." The Habitat build last October culminated in a special dedication ceremony where Collins received the keys to her new home and a family Bible. "I just want to say thank you to the Alabama Power Service Organization, Habitat and all the volunteers," said Collins. "This means so much to me and my family. It's a blessing, and it has been a great experience." Magic City Chapter President Wilbur Johnson recognized the volunteers from APSO, the IBEW and other departments who together worked more than 1,500 hours and poured their energy into the project. "It took just 10 days and the collaborative efforts of many employees to make a dream come true for this family," said Johnson, engineer, Regulatory Pricing. "I want to thank all who have contributed to help this family realize that the 'impossible is possible.'" H O U S E S W E E T H O U S E Volunteers work Magic for 24th homeowner by Carla Davis 19

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