By Kaitlin Fleming
Staff Correspondent
On Friday, Nov. 9, about 30 members of Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to help build a four bedroom, two bathroom home for an Etowah County resident in Adam’s Park in Gadsden.
APSO has partnered with Habitat for Humanity every year for the last three years and helped on at least one project a year. APSO is a group of Alabama Power Company employees ranging from the marketing department to in-field workers. The team is comprised of employees from all over the Eastern Division of Alabama Power; several of the volunteers are from Anniston, Gadsden, Pell City and Oneonta.
Steve Hilderbrant, the Eastern Division Area Manager for Alabama Power, was a volunteer at the job site.
“This is a great team building event,” said Hilderbrant. “We have different guys from different locations out here working together.”
The current home is one of the first Superior Solutions rated homes built in Etowah County. Superior Solutions is an energy efficiency program rated by Alabama Power. The Superior Solutions rating is designed to make utilities more affordable by making the homes more energy efficient.
“If you invest your time and money into a company, you want to know that company will do great things with your investment,” said Hilderbrant. “And that is the kind of trust we have in Habitat. They do what they say and you’re confident when you pull up to one of their job sites. It is a great partnership and we are proud to work along with them.”
The current project house is being built for Alicia Veal, her handicapped son and two teenage grandchildren.
“God has blessed me with this home through Habitat for Humanity and we are so thankful and proud that APSO has put forth an effort to help,” said Veal.
The home will be handicap accessible, meaning it will have a handicap ramp, handicap bathroom and an open floor plan.
“The recipients of these homes are proud and happy to receive them.” said Hilderbrant. “They take great pride in their new homes and they keep them looking good.”
The Veal home soon will join the 16 other Habitat for Humanity homes in Adam’s Park, which was developed in partnership with the City of Gadsden. This community features a large walking track and park. This is Habitat for Humanity’s 48th house project in Etowah County. The house is scheduled to be complete by spring 2016.