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IBEW Local # 1 Electricians and Union Electrical Contractors Donate $80,000 in Materials and Service to Wire Homes

ST. LOUIS - The Electrical Connection teamed up with Habitat for Humanity this summer to create a neighborhood for disadvantaged first-time homebuyers in the St. Louis suburb of Hillsdale, Mo. An army of union electricians and electrical contractors wired a total of 20 homes. The first six homes, dedicated on Aug. 27, 2005, are ready for occupancy. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #1 electricians and union electrical contractors with The Electrical Connection donated $80,000 in material and services as part of the "Hillsdale 2005" housing project for the needy.

More than 25 union electricians and several union electrical contractors began work on the first six homes in the 2000 block of Edmund Ave. last June. Rough-ins for the last seven homes on Oakdale Ave. were completed Aug. 27, with the homes to be ready for occupancy this November. In total, the Electrical Connection installed 15 miles of wiring to help create the new community.

"The Electrical Connection has now wired a total of 46 homes for Habitat for Humanity," said Matt Lampe, business representative for IBEW Local #1, which partners with St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) to form The Electrical Connection. "It is a remarkable opportunity to help build a neighborhood and provide safely constructed new homes to deserving families."

Union electrical contractors participating in "Hillsdale 2005" include: 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.

In addition to its work with Habitat for Humanity, The Electrical Connection has donated services to Rebuilding Together to improve homes owned by low-income, elderly persons in the area. Also, for 10 consecutive years, members of the group have supported St. Louis City's "National Night Out" anti-crime program by donating skills and material to make homes safer.

Curtis Wilburn, an apprentice with Grasser Electric, pulls cable TV wire in a home being built by Habitat for Humanity in Hillsdale, Mo. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #1 electricians and union electrical contractors with The Electrical Connection are wiring 20 homes as part of the Habitat project.

The Electrical Connection worked with Habitat for Humanity this summer to create a neighborhood for disadvantaged first-time homebuyers in Hillsdale, Mo. The first six homes debuted at an open house Aug. 27, 2005.