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No place like home: Women at Entergy team up with Habitat for Humanity
12/07/2023
Organizations lend support to Baton Rouge resident in need
They say there is no place like home: It is a comfort that nearly 30 women at Entergy and Habitat for Humanity helped make homeownership a reality for a Baton Rouge resident during what the nonprofit calls a Women Build.
Such events began in 2005 and give women in the community an opportunity to come together and help construct a house in support of other women in need. The 19th Women Build, which Entergy helped sponsor, took place in fall 2023.
“At Entergy, we support diversity, inclusion and belonging not only in the workplace but also throughout our communities, and our recent volunteerism effort in partnership with Habitat for Humanity is another example of doing just that,” said Kristin Zatta, Entergy Louisiana customer service manager.
She added, “What a great way to empower women by giving them the tools and resources to make a real difference in the life of another.”
The collaborative effort between Entergy Louisiana, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge and other corporate and women-led individual team sponsors, took place in Progress Park neighborhood. Habitat staff members supplied materials, tools, instruction and hands-on guidance to make sure teams worked safely and efficiently.
Entergy employee volunteers, Habitat staff members and others cut and installed siding, painted and even applied caulk around windows.
“Our Habitat model is based on others helping us fulfill our mission which is to help members of the community rise above poverty housing,” said Lynn Clark, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge executive director. “We couldn’t do what we do if we didn’t have partners like Entergy come out and help us.”
Habitat, she said, has built homes in eight different neighborhoods across the Baton Rouge area, with more than 40 homes being constructed in their recent focus area, Mid-City North. The nonprofit not only constructs new homes, but it also repairs existing homes to revitalize neighborhoods and develop healthier, more vibrant communities.
Volunteering with Habitat, Clark said, is easy; you do not need to have construction experience or skills, just a “willing heart and willing hands.”
Latasha Franklin, Entergy Louisiana customer service specialist, was among those who had both.
“Although the weather wasn’t in our favor today and it was muddy, knowing that what we’re doing will have an impact on someone and generations to come makes it all worth it,” Franklin said.
To learn more about how Entergy supports its communities, visit entergy.com/communities/. And to learn more about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge, visit habitatbrla.org/.
