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.