What:        A special kick-off celebration to launch construction of the
               Lowe's Habitat for Humanity Home being built for a family in
               Leeds.  About 100 Alabama Power Service Organization
               volunteers will be helping with the project.

  When:        Saturday, July 15. The ceremony begins at noon.  Construction
               on the home will run from July 13 to July 30.  For interviews
               at the site, contact David Oliver or Bob Moore.

  Where:       The Lowe's store location in Trussville. Take I-459 North and
               exit at  Highway 11.  Go through the first light and Lowe's
               will be on the left.

  Background:  This will be the 15th Birmingham-area Habitat for Humanity
               Home built by Alabama Power Service Organization volunteers.
               The house will be built in the Lowe's parking lot and moved
               to the permanent home site in Leeds.  Lowe's is providing all
               building materials for the project.

The Alabama Power Service Organization is a non-profit, community service group made up of Alabama Power and Southern Company employees, retirees and family members. APSO was founded in 1990 and today has more than 3,500 members in 10 chapters throughout Alabama. In 1999, APSO contributed $1.2 million to charities in Alabama and posted more than 53,000 volunteer hours.

Alabama Power provides affordable, reliable electric service to 1.3 million customers in the lower two-thirds of Alabama. Alabama Power is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company, an international energy company that operates more than 48,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity worldwide. Southern Company is the largest producer of electricity in the United States and one of the world's largest independent power producers.

SOURCE: Alabama Power