Volunteer teams from American Electric Power and Entergy Palisades will begin constructing two new Habitat homes starting at the foundations; framing and raising the walls, roofing, and siding the exteriors. In just five days each house will be ready for the licensed electricians, plumbers and other skilled labor. The volunteer teams will return to the houses on June 28 for another week of blitz construction. In phase two, they will hang cabinets, set flooring and paint the interiors, making the new homes ready for occupancy. Both houses will be completed in early July and dedicated on July 24. The Entergy Blitz House will be Harbor Habitat’s 99th house and the home of Tamika Carter and her Family. The A.E.P Blitz House will be considered Harbor Habitat House #102 and be the new home of Latriece Hadley and her family.

American Electric Power and the Cook Nuclear Power Plant have been supporters of Harbor Habitat since the affiliate was founded, and built its first two homes in 1996. AEP’s support has increased each year with volunteer numbers, gifts-in-kind, and house sponsorships. This year AEP will conclude their ninth complete house sponsorship, and are helping to underwrite Harbor Habitat’s Centennial Celebration on July 24 with Entergy Palisades and the Whirlpool Corporation. They have developed a unique and efficient system for blitz building Habitat houses and their consistent involvement has attracted a number of other major corporate sponsors to Harbor Habitat.

Palisades Nuclear Power Plant built their first complete Habitat home as a house sponsor in the 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project, while still a part of Consumer’s Energy. After being acquired by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Palisades renewed their Habitat partnership and sponsored a 2008 Habitat house in phase one of the Crystal Estates development. They returned in 2009 to underwrite and build 1 ½ new homes, and in 2010 will sponsor one complete new home and will join AEP and the Whirlpool Corporation in helping underwrite Harbor Habitat’s Centennial Celebration.

This year Harbor Habitat will mobilize approximately 3,000 volunteers throughout our community to build six new homes on Butternut Street in Benton Charter Township, rehab its first home in an established Benton Harbor neighborhood, and paint up to 20 homes in Benton Harbor and Benton Charter Township through the A Brush with Kindness program.

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