CenterPoint Energy starts 21st year with Twin Cities Habitat

CenterPoint Energy volunteers are once again helping build a Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity home this summer. This time in Crystal. This being the company's 21st straight year with Habitat, the volunteers work like a well-oiled machine.

"It's fun and rewarding," says Rich Abrahamson who is a co-chair of this year's team and has worked on five of CenterPoint's Habitat homes. "We try to get everyone who wants to be involved in on it."

Each year, CenterPoint also connects with vendors in the neighborhood they're working in to supply lunches. This summer they're working with the grocery store Almsted's, which is just a couple blocks away. Ann Lovcik helps coordinate things with the local businesses. She's been involved with Habitat through CenterPoint for the past 11 years. 

At this point, the numbers are pretty amazing in terms of what CenterPoint has provided toward Habitat's mission of eliminating poverty housing in the Twin Cities: 15,000 hours from 1,800 CenterPoint Energy employees and retirees.

"It's really great to work for a company that values this and helps the employees be a part of it," says Rich. "This year we've got a lot of people from the call center involved. They're really the voice of our company so it's nice that they get to be out in the field interacting in the community some." 

The home in Crystal is on Brunswick Avenue North. Dahir, who will be buying the home along with his wife Zarha, was out building with the volunteers from CenterPoint. He says his family is excited to be moving into the community. They like visiting the library, the YMCA and spending time with their family and friends in the area.

To read more about how CenterPoint Energy is involved in community building efforts around Minnesota visit their website: http://www.centerpointenergy.com/community/MN/