Avangrid Foundation Partners with Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity to Advance Workforce Development and Affordable Home Ownership

GENEVA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 19, 2026--

The Avangrid Foundation, the philanthropic arm of leading energy company Avangrid Inc., a member of the Iberdrola Group, hosted a site tour last week of the Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity 2026 Youth Build Program. Held at a Habitat for Humanity home under construction on Katherine Street in Geneva, the event showcased how the Youth Build Program provides local students with hands-on experience in the skilled trades while helping construct a future home for a local family.

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“The future workforce is shaped by hands-on learning experiences like the Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Build Program,” said Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda. “This partnership provides students with practical skills, exposure to career pathways in the trades, and the opportunity to contribute to a project that will make a meaningful difference for a local family.”

“By supporting Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity's Youth Build Program, the Avangrid Foundation is helping local students gain valuable skills while expanding access to affordable housing for families in Geneva,” said Pablo Colón, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation. “When organizations come together around a shared purpose, we can create opportunities that strengthen communities, open doors for young people, and help families build a brighter future.”

Through support from the Avangrid Foundation, five students participated in the nine-week summer program, gaining valuable experience in residential construction, workplace safety, teamwork, and building trades. In addition to creating career pathways for young people, the program supported Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity's mission of expanding access to safe, affordable homeownership opportunities.

"My experience with Habitat for Humanity has been one of the most uniquely hands-on and transformational experiences that I've participated in. My experience so far has consisted of not just learning, but performing many new skills crucial to the fields of carpentry and construction. I have learned how to create houses with accuracy and how to properly communicate with others on a job site. This alone would have been extremely valuable in my future career, but above that, I have been able to learn from a great community. Between our mentors (Roman and Jared), the other interns, and many consistent volunteers, I have greatly appreciated and learned from the very supportive community at Habitat for Humanity. My experience has been deeply educational and I would wholeheartedly recommend others to pursue this internship in future years if given the chance,” said student intern Emmet Crawley.

The site tour included Pablo Colón, Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation and Director of Corporate Citizenship at Avangrid; Trish Nilsen, CEO of NYSEG and RG&E; Kim Brumber, CEO of Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity, Jim Cecere, Mayor of Geneva, and representatives from Senator Pam Helming’s office.

“Through support from the Avangrid Foundation, five students participated in the nine-week summer program, gaining valuable experience in residential construction, workplace safety, teamwork, and building trades. In addition to creating career pathways for young people, the program supported Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity's mission of expanding access to safe, affordable homeownership opportunities,” said Kim Brumber, CEO of Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity.

“Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Build Program brings together two things that are vital to our region: preparing young people for in-demand careers in the skilled trades and helping a local family achieve the dream of homeownership,” said Senator Pam Helming. “The students who worked on this home should be proud of what they accomplished. They didn’t just learn a skill; they changed a family’s life. Congratulations to Francheska and her daughters, Danielys and Elayanis, on their new home. I wish them many years of happiness and wonderful memories together. Thank you to the entire Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity team for investing in our young people and supporting families throughout our community.”

“The work underway on Katherine Street shows what a strong community partnership can accomplish,” said City of Geneva Mayor Jim Cecere. “Habitat for Humanity is creating a pathway to homeownership for a Geneva family, BOCES students are gaining valuable hands-on experience, and the Avangrid Foundation is providing the financial support that helps make this work possible. Each partner is contributing to a project that will have a lasting impact on the family and our community.”

About Avangrid Foundation: The Avangrid Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that funds philanthropic investments that primarily impact communities where Avangrid, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate. Since 2001, the Avangrid Foundation and its predecessors have invested more than $45 million in partnerships that focus on building sustainable, vital and healthy communities; preserving cultural and artistic heritage; advancing education; and improving people’s lives. The Avangrid Foundation is committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.avangrid.com/avangrid-foundation.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, including operations in 25 states with approximately $50 billion in assets. Avangrid owns and operates seven electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. It also owns and operates nearly 100 energy generation facilities across the United States producing more than 11 GW of power for over 3 million customers. Avangrid employs approximately 8,500 people and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2026 for the eighth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit http://www.avangrid.com.

Avangrid Foundation Partners with Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity to Advance Workforce Development and Affordable Home Ownership

HONOLULU (AP) — The death toll in Hawaii from Lala rose to two with the discovery of a man’s body near a highway, while efforts continued to remove massive amounts of debris left behind by the storm while the number of homes and businesses without electricity dwindled.

The remains of the man in his 60s were located by residents in a pasture Tuesday in the largest and southernmost district on the Big Island, a day after police were asked to conduct a welfare check, police Lt. David Po’ohina said in a news release.

Po’ohina said the death appears to be storm-related. Last weekend, Lala raked past the Big Island as a hurricane and then skirted neighboring islands as a tropical storm, pounding the volcanic archipelago with high winds and heavy rains before moving off to the west. Lala also was blamed for the death of a 93-year-old woman whose body was found Monday after she was reported missing in Naalehu on the Big Island's southern tip.

Work continued Wednesday to clear away tons of mud and debris left behind by a torrent of water that inundated buildings, some of whose roofs were sheared off by the winds. Dozens of homes were washed from foundations, bridges were damaged and a collapsed section of a two-lane road had cut off access to the community of Pahala.

The heaviest recorded rainfall, 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), occurred in Laupahoehoe on the northeast coast of the Big Island, the National Weather Service said.

About 19,000 customers remained without power on Wednesday in Hawaii, down from nearly 104,000 on Monday afternoon, the Hawaiian Electric utility said. It said nearly all customers should have power restored by Friday.

Gaining new strength over warm Pacific waters, Lala strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph).

It was moving to the northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) and was bearing down on an area that included the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago. The population in one of the most remote places on Earth consists entirely of a few dozen U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, volunteers and contractors. Forecasters warned that hurricane conditions were expected in portions of the region by Thursday.

The hurricane center called it the first major hurricane of 2026 in the Central Pacific. Lala was a tropical storm when it battered parts of Hawaii on Sunday as it passed by without making landfall.

Meanwhile, forecasters were keeping watch on a storm system located far east-southeast of Hawaii. The hurricane center said conditions appeared conducive for a tropical depression likely to form over the next few days.

Punalu'u Bake Shop is seen surrounded by debris in Naalehu, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, after a severe weather system went through the area. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Debris is seen along Hawaiʻi Belt Road near Pahala, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, after a severe weather system went through the area. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)