ST. LOUIS For 20 disadvantaged homebuyers in
North St. Louis, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, will
be a day many thought would never come, in this,
the most challenging year of building for Habitat
for Humanity St. Louis. After a trying summer
when raging storms nearly pummeled their hopes,
the first-time owners will take possession of
their new homes at a ceremony Nov. 18. The Electrical
Connection completed final wiring Nov. 4 on
the 20 homes built this summer in the Jeff-Vander-Lou
neighborhood.
"We certainly had our ups and downs this
year with the weather," said Kimberly McKinney,
chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity
St. Louis. "There was a time after the
July storms when our buyers thought their dreams
of home ownership would never come true. But
thanks to the dedication of our volunteers,
we bounced back and completed the homes as always."
The storms that battered St. Louis on July
19 and July 21, 2006, knocked out power to 500,000
residents and extensively damaged the Habitat
homes under construction. In response, Habitat
mobilized its team of volunteers, including
more than 150 union electricians and several
union electrical contractors affiliated with
the Electrical Connection. In total, the Electrical
Connection installed more than 15 miles of wiring
and donated $160,000 in materials and services.
"This is our fourth year teaming with
Habitat for Humanity," said Matt Lampe,
business representative for International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #1, which
partners with the St. Louis Chapter, National
Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), to
form the Electrical Connection. "The experience
is just as rewarding for us as it is for the
homeowners. This year was especially gratifying
given the number of obstacles everyone had to
overcome."
Union electrical contractors who participated
in the effort include Beach Electric, Branson
Electric Co., Dickherber Electric, Inc., Grasser
Electric, J. Bathe Electric, Lindsey Electric
Inc., M.R. Bathe Electric, Northwest Electric
Co., Premier Electric and Schaeffer Electric
Co. Additional communications wiring support
and materials were also supplied by Sachs Electric,
Bell Electrical Contractors and Home-Tech Communications.
The Electrical Connection also has donated
services and materials to Rebuilding Together
to improve homes for low-income, elderly persons
in the area and, for 10 years, has donated skills
and material in support of St. Louis City's
"National Night Out" anti-crime program.
