OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 16, 2013 — Team UT-Battelle’s all-volunteer project to build homes for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) has earned the 2013 Horizon Award from the Tennessee Labor Management Foundation.
The award, which recognizes labor management partnerships that benefit the Tennessee community, will be presented to UT-Battelle and the Atomic Trades & Labor Council at the foundation’s summer conference in Nashville. UT-Battelle is the managing contractor for the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“This is a great tribute to the Department of Energy and our team, especially the ATLC members who have been volunteering their time,” said Ann Weaver, team captain for the project. “Because of the skills our craft workers bring, we have been able to build homes for ADFAC at a reduced cost.”
ADFAC, an independent nonprofit agency, exists to serve the basic needs of primarily low-income residents in Anderson and surrounding Appalachian counties. ADFAC’s goal is to help families become stable and self-sufficient through a variety of direct assistance services through its Social Services and Affordable Housing programs.
Team UT-Battelle, the community service organization at the DOE national laboratory, built its first house -- a 1,000-square-foot, Energy Star-certified home -- for ADFAC in 2012. Laboratory volunteers recently finished construction on a second house in Oak Ridge. The 11-week project involved nearly 85 volunteers from UT-Battelle.
“Employees from all walks of ORNL life – directors, managers, supervisors, researchers, support personnel and our craft workers – have been working side by side with one goal – to build low-cost homes for less fortunate but very deserving members of our community,” Weaver said.
“We are very proud of our members who are contributing to the ADFAC home builds. The ATLC has a strong tradition of supporting those who are less fortunate in our community. ADFAC is a great opportunity for us to continue the tradition,” said Carl Wright, ATLC first vice president.
The Atomic Trades and Labor Council, which is affiliated with the Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, comprises 13 international unions and 14 local unions. The ATLC currently represents approximately 2,100 members at ORNL and the Y-12 Security Complex.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://energy.gov/science/.