Insights > Entergy Volunteers Make Local Homes Safer With Rebuilding Together New Orleans

Entergy Volunteers Make Local Homes Safer With Rebuilding Together New Orleans

03/30/2021

At Entergy New Orleans, safety is a core value. This mindset extends from the field, to the office, to home and to our communities. On Thursday, March 25, Entergy volunteers worked with our long-time community partner Rebuilding Together New Orleans to help build a wheelchair ramp and provide additional home modifications for a local family in New Orleans East. This is the first of several collaborations with Rebuilding Together to provide critical home repairs for families in need across New Orleans throughout 2021.

Wilma Abney, a retired nurse, regained her ability to walk after falling in her home and becoming paralyzed a few years ago and her husband, Brian Abney, a retired U.S. Marine, recently returned to work after losing his job during the pandemic. The couple requested a ramp and other modifications to make their home safer and more accessible, so Wilma can move comfortably through their home.

“The wheelchair ramp will help me gain some independence around my home. I can come and go as I please, and not worry about missing a step, and it also helps ease my husband’s mind when I am home alone, and he is at work,” said Mrs.  Abney.

Entergy, Rebuilding Together and the New Orleans Pelicans also surprised the couple with a virtual visit from Pelican’s Center Willy Hernangomez.

Rebuilding Together helps low-income families in communities across the city to live in comfort, safety and dignity by providing critical home repairs. Along with building accessibility ramps, the organization also installs grab bars, handrails, raised toilets and accessible showers in the home.

“New Orleans has faced unparalleled challenges over the years. That is why our decades-long partnership with Rebuilding Together New Orleans is vital to the continued growth of the city, creating stable, healthy living environments for residents. We’re proud of the hard work our dedicated employee volunteers have done to deliver on our promise of being a partner to the customers we serve,” said David Ellis, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans. “We Power Life is not just a vision. It’s how we go about our day to day work helping our local communities grow, thrive and be safe.”

To see more from the Rebuilding Together New Orleans volunteer event, visit our Facebook here.

Corporate Social Responsibility at Entergy

For more than 100 years, Entergy has powered life in our communities through strategic philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy’s corporate social responsibility initiatives help create and sustain thriving communities, position the company for sustainable growth and are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our top CSR priorities are education/workforce development, poverty solutions/social services and environmental programs. Entergy annually contributes $16-$18 million in shareholder-funded grants to approximately 2,000 nonprofit organizations in the communities where we operate. In addition, our employees volunteer more than 100,000 hours in those communities values at more than $3 million.


New Orleans Editorial Team