Alabama Power volunteers deliver some sweat equity to support Birmingham nonprofit

Alabama Power Service Organization volunteers recently lent some elbow grease to help a Birmingham nonprofit renovate its offices for the new year.

Nearly 20 employees, including members of the company’s Power Delivery Grid Inform and Connectivity group and Marketing Connectivity team, donated time and labor to get the new offices of Build UP closer to completion. The nonprofit works with high school and college low-income youths, teaching them skilled trades through paid apprenticeships. Through Build UP’s unique model, students restore and expand housing in underserved communities. Graduates of the program have an opportunity to become owners of the restored homes, helping the students build wealth while working to improve their neighborhoods.

Arnab Ghosal, general manager of the Grid Inform and Connectivity group, said the workday at Build UP was educational and a chance to support an important community organization. It also was an opportunity to enjoy employee fellowship during the holidays.

The group painted rooms and hallways at the offices, installed brackets for lighting, vacuumed dust from recent drywall construction and conducted other cleanup tasks. Build UP expects to move into the renovated facility in Birmingham’s Titusville community early this year.

“Volunteering and being able to make positive impacts to our community is a very important piece of what our teams do at Alabama Power,” Ghosal said. “We are also so lucky to have great organizations, such as Build UP, that make big differences where they are needed most every single day.”

The Alabama Power group paused to learn about Build UP and its mission from Mark Martin, the organization’s CEO.

Samantha Whorton, an engineer in the Grid Inform and Connectivity group, said the volunteer event “was a great way to hear about an amazing program in our community and help give back to it.

“Being able to volunteer alongside co-workers is something I am thankful that Alabama Power allows us to do,” Whorton said. “It really helps to strengthen the relationships we have on our teams as well as our relationships with our community.

“We talk about how important customer service is at Alabama Power. Volunteering with organizations like Build UP lets us take that service to another level,” Whorton added.

APSO volunteers across the state volunteered throughout this past December to support a variety of nonprofit and community organizations. Many of the projects were designed to help youths, seniors and others in need during the holidays.

Learn more about Build UP here. Learn more about the Alabama Power Service Organization here.