Bethlehem, August 20, 2015 – West Side Hammer Electric, celebrating its 80th anniversary, donates its services and materials to complete the electrical work on 735 Aaron St in Bethlehem. The team expects to complete the work on Saturday, August 22nd, where about 10 employees will complete the project.
West Side Hammer Electric is celebrating 80 years of business in the Lehigh Valley this year, and as part of their yearlong celebration, they decided to do one project a quarter to give back to the Lehigh Valley community. The local business participated in two Habitat Lehigh Valley house projects 5 years ago and had a great response from employees to do it again this year. Luke Cunningham, President of West Side Hammer, has been an active leader in the community and is especially interested in “giving back” to Bethlehem, the city that he grew up in. “At West Side Hammer Electric, our employees understand the importance of helping others. It is our belief that it is our corporate responsibility to give back and support the community that we work and live in,” says Luke Cunningham. “West Side Hammer Electric selected Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley for our community involvement because we believe a family structure in a stable home environment is a key element in our community.”
The partnership between Habitat Lehigh Valley and West Side Hammer has been built over time. “West Side Hammer has been supportive of our organization in a variety of ways, including connecting us to the local IBEW union and by agreeing to support us with donations of electrical materials over the years,” says Deb Cummins, Executive Director at Habitat Lehigh Valley.
Saturday will mark West Side Hammer Electric’s third time at 735 Aaron Street this summer, and the team plans to complete the wiring of the house that day. “We have had a rotation of different guys volunteering all summer, so everyone really has put their small piece into this house, which is great. Habitat does a great job at giving back to families in the Lehigh Valley and we are very proud to be a part of their team,” says Meagan Cunningham, Marketing Manager and Project Coordinator of West Side Hammer. In addition to West Side Hammer Electric’s material donations and labor support on 735 Aaron St, the business has supported the organization on several different projects in Bethlehem, including material donations and installation at 1393 E 8th St, as well as wiring and installing fixtures and lights at 1460 James St.
This company supports our goal of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. We are excited about having the West Side team on our site as volunteers and are grateful to this firm that continually teaches us how to “pay it forward,” says Cummins.
About Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to provide affordable housing for hardworking low-income families. Homeowners commit to 250 hours of “sweat equity” to be eligible for a Habitat home. Partner families repay a no-interest mortgage as part of Habitat’s philosophy of giving potential homeowners a “hand up” instead of a “hand out.” Since 1989, Habitat has built and renovated over 100 homes in the Lehigh Valley and has dedicated its 100th home last year. Contact Habitat Lehigh Valley at 610-776-7737 for additional information or explore its initiatives by visiting the website at http://www.habitatlv.org/.
Information Provided By:
JEHAN MOUSTAFA
Community Outreach Manager
Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley
