HOUSTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the Kubena family of East Bernard, the joy of receiving a brand new home from Royce Builders and ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team is a just a little sweeter, thanks to the generosity of Houston's hometown energy provider. Reliant Energy is donating one year's worth of free electricity to power the family's new home.
"Reliant is committed to supporting our customers and the communities where we do business," said Joel Staff, chairman and chief executive officer, Reliant Energy. "That's why when Royce Builders approached us to help this family, we gladly said yes."
The television show featuring the Kubena family will air at 7 p.m., Central time on Sunday, Feb. 19. In addition to the gift of electricity, 20 Reliant Energy employees volunteered to help on the day the family saw their home for the first time. All were touched by the heart-warming experience.
"I really appreciate that Reliant and Royce gave us the opportunity to work on this project," said Gary Dean of Cypress, a wide-area network analyst for Reliant. "We worked side-by-side throughout that last day with family members, brothers and cousins. I felt a personal connection with them. When the family came home, I had to blame the bright sunshine for making my eyes water. It was a special moment."
"The first thing that comes to mind is 'wow.' It was an unbelievable experience," said Stella Mire of Sugar Land, a financial analyst for the company. "As we worked that day, we got to know more about the family and how much they deserve this gift. Everyone there, including the TV personalities, was totally focused on the needs of that family."
The gift of electricity and employee volunteer time is part of Reliant Energy's community outreach program. The program focuses on four general areas: energy assistance programs benefiting low-income customers in Texas; employee volunteer programs, including employee and corporate giving; joint outreach programs with the company's major business partners including youth development and education; and environmental partnerships in communities near Reliant's power generation facilities.
In 2005, the company provided more than $2.4 million in funding to programs, sponsorships and activities that support the communities where Reliant does business. In the last year, the company has worked with numerous organizations, including the United Way, the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen Foundation, March of Dimes, Rebuilding Together Houston, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and many more.
Reliant Energy, Inc. based in Houston, Texas, provides electricity and energy services to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. In Texas, the company provides service to approximately 1.9 million retail electricity customers, including residential and small business customers and large commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers. Reliant also serves commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers in the PJM (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland) market.
The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with approximately 16,000 megawatts of power generation capacity from continuing operations across the United States. These strategically located generating assets utilize natural gas, fuel oil and coal. For more information, visit http://www.reliant.com/corporate .
