In just 10 days, volunteers with the corporate chapter of Energizers, the Alabama Power Service Organization, have completed construction of a three-bedroom house in the new Edgewater Oaks neighborhood in western Jefferson County. The house, which is being dedicated today, was built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham.

"This new house represents the love and toil of dozens of volunteers who know first-hand the important work Habitat for Humanity is doing in the Birmingham area," said Alan Martin, executive vice president of Alabama Power. Martin spoke at today's dedication ceremony. "But even more important, this successful project means another deserving family is about to experience the joy and connection to community that comes with home ownership."

Martin presented keys for the house to the new owner, Wanda McMillian, a single mother with two young daughters, Ashley, 13, and Brittany, 7. The home is the first to be completed at Edgewater Oaks, which is located in an area that sustained extensive damage when a severe tornado passed through in April 1998. The home includes a safe room.

Habitat plans to build approximately 40 houses in the new neighborhood during the next three years. Several more houses, sponsored by other organizations, individuals and churches, are expected to be completed the coming weeks.

"The completion of this home is an exciting signal that the Edgewater neighborhood is becoming a reality," said Charles Moore, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham. "With the help of the Energizers, Alabama Power, Southern Company and so many others, we are helping families live the dream of having a place they can call home."

Energizers, the Alabama Power Service Organization, includes more than 3,500 Alabama Power, Southern Nuclear and Southern Company employees and their families who pledge their money and labor to help improve communities within the state. Another 1,700 retirees and their spouses also contribute through 12 local chapters. Together, Energizers employees and retirees donate more than 60,000 hours and more than $1.1 million annually to worthy projects across Alabama.

Other partners in the Edgewater Oaks project include the Jefferson County Commission, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the Jefferson County Community Development Department.

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SOURCE: Alabama Power Company