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PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

RedHawks to build Habitat for Humanity house

May 31, 2006 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


OKLAHOMA CITY , May 31, 2006 - The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc.; Express Personnel Services; Boldt Construction; and the Oklahoma RedHawks will team up in mid-June with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity to build a three-bedroom house in a parking lot outside AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.

Local Habitat officials, RedHawks players and volunteers from the sponsoring companies will kick off the Bring 'em Home project June 19 with the start of construction on a 1,050-square-foot house in the parking lot directly east of the ballpark.

The two-week "blitz build" house will be completed July 3 and then moved a few days later to its permanent location in southeastern Oklahoma City. The keys to the new home will be presented to the new homeowner at a special ceremony before the July 4 RedHawks game.

"This is the first time in the Oklahoma City area that we've built a Habitat house in one location and moved it to another," said Ann Felton, chairman/CEO of Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity. "This provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work we do to help put more Oklahomans into high-quality, affordable housing. Visitors to Bricktown in late June will see an entire house go from foundation to finish in just two weeks." This first-of-its-kind project is being funded by donations of $50,000 from the AT&T Foundation and $25,000 from Express Personnel Services. Boldt Construction, which oversaw the building of AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, is contributing its construction and engineering expertise to the project. "I can think of no better way to celebrate our nation's birthday and the American can-do spirit than by highlighting an organization that provides safe and affordable housing for deserving families," said Don Cain, president of AT&T Oklahoma. "We're excited to be a part of this very important and worthwhile project."

"Express Personnel Services believes passionately in caring about the communities in which we live and work," said Bob Funk, founder, chairman and CEO of Express Personnel Services. "Our support of the Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity reinforces our commitment to Oklahoma City to help deserving people achieve the dream of homeownership."

"We appreciate the opportunity to be involved with an organization like Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity and to be affiliated with a project that will help the organization reach out to more Oklahomans," said state Sen. Scott Pruitt, general managing partner of the Oklahoma RedHawks. "Through its great work, Habitat exemplifies the compassion and concern that we in Oklahoma have for our fellow citizens."

"At Boldt, we're in the business of building, but rarely do we get a chance to be involved in the building of something that so dramatically impacts the life of one family," said Jerry Ennis, president of Boldt Construction, Southern Operations. "We feel privileged to be able to lend our name and our employees to this worthwhile project."

Habitat's Felton said that at the July 4 RedHawks game, Habitat officials and the participating sponsors will present the keys to the new home to Stefanie Cravens, a single mother with two young children. Cravens has worked in the Reynolds Ford personnel department since 1998.

"I would love to be able to raise my children in a home that can be kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter and that's in a safe neighborhood, where guns and drugs are not around," Cravens said.

RedHawks fans, visitors to the construction site and Habitat supporters will have a chance to contribute to Habitat's next home-building project. Donations can be made by logging onto www.CentralOklahomaHabitat.org. Members of the Bricktown Association have agreed to provide food and drinks to the volunteer workers during the project. Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity is part of an international, nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing ministry, which provides zero-interest mortgage loans to qualified hard-working lower-income families.

"Our philosophy is 'a hand up,'" said Habitat's Felton. "Habitat offers a true partnership arrangement by which families in the lower-income ranges can attain their goals of homeownership."

This year, Central Oklahoma Habitat will complete 52 homes located across the Oklahoma City metro area. In June 2006, the organization will dedicate its 400th house completed since 1990.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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