Central Oklahoma Habitat Newslet

Bank of America House

BOA partners with Chaparral Energy to build

Bank of America and their client partner, Chaparral Energy, undertook a different kind of project with Central Oklahoma Habitat this fall. BOA provided complete funding for a new home in southeast Oklahoma City, and Chaparral contributed a good deal of the volunteers to help build it. Together, volunteers from both organizations constructed a beautiful new home from the ground up, working Tuesdays and Saturdays over nine weeks.

Our thanks to Mike Embrey, Vice President with Bank of America in Oklahoma City, and Bill Shanahan, Marketing Manager for Chaparral Energy, for their hard work, both on the construction site and behind the scenes organizing their groups’ efforts!

Thank you Bank of America and Chaparral Energy!

Dear Habitat,

Building the Habitat home for the Monica Hernandez family has been a wonderful experience for me personally and for the Bank of America associates who participated. We originally went into this project thinking that this was a great thing we were doing for a family and a community. However, the build turned out to be a wonderful blessing for those of us who participated. This team was a group of strangers in the beginning, but by the time the last nail was driven and the last coat of paint applied, we were friends.

Working with the Habitat team has been great – we could not have asked for better partners. Cezar Martinez, Habitat site leader, was a pure joy to work with. His upbeat and positive attitude kept us motivated on even the hottest day. Ann Felton, Chairman and CEO, was absolutely delightful to work with during this process. Ann was encouraging and appreciative of our efforts throughout the entire build. The rest of the Habitat team that we worked with – Pam Felactu in the office and Jesse Chapa on site – were always helpful before and during the build. As challenging as it was at times to schedule workers, provide lunches, drinks, snacks, and give up personal time, I can honestly say that I would do it all over again.

Thank you, Habitat team, for letting us be a part of your team!

- Michael Embrey,Vice President, Middle Market Banking Southwest, Bank of America

Dear Habitat,

The experience we at Chaparral had with Bank of America was a special time. We are partners in business and this gave us an opportunity to participate in a different venture together. It has been my experience that working together, outside of the usual work environment helps me understand my co-workers better and improves our communication in the office. The opportunity to work with our industry partners and my co-workers allows me to enlarge the framework of our business relationship and accomplish a lasting investment in the community.

- Bill Shanahan, Chaparral Energy LLC

Dear Habitat,

This was my first experience as an on-site volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. God has blessed me in ways too many to count when I needed a hand up; it’s an awesome feeling being able to help someone else in need. Sharing in this project was an excellent opportunity to be reminded that we all can find ourselves in difficult situations, and that hard times do not discriminate. May God bless this mission, and its founder, for many years to come.

- Kathy Upton, Chaparral Energy LLC

Dear Habitat,

To achieve a Girl Scout Gold Award, I set out to follow a complete Habitat build and write about it. I learned so much about the value of home ownership and relationships with people. By working with Bank of America and Chaparral Energy volunteers, I gained a newfound sense of the dedication and commitment of everyone associated with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity.

As I labored with other volunteers on various house-building projects each Saturday, I grew in stamina, in communication skills, and felt that my contributions to this house were truly making a difference in a fellow Oklahoman’s life. It is with deep pride, for example, that I helped nail the siding of the house up, despite the fact that in the beginning, every nail I hammered bent sideways and had to be redone. But, I learned the value of perseverance through that experience.

Perhaps the greatest benefit came from the friendships I developed. The Bank of America and Chaparral Energy volunteers could not have been more gracious and helpful to me, an outsider not affiliated with either company. Bank of America leader, Mike Embrey, always greeted me with a hearty “Good morning!” each Saturday when I arrived, and I enjoyed getting to know Bank of America employee Donna Powell as we shared a ladder one Saturday and painted the entire perimeter of the house together. A Chaparral volunteer, Cheryl Andrews, was enthusiastic that a young student like me was contributing and giving back to my community. Her praise of my humble efforts really boosted my desire to continue serving others and know that I am truly impacting lives, no matter how small the task.

Finally, it was amazing to watch homebuyer Monica Hernandez work diligently and positively at all she did, completing her final seven sweat equity hours just in time for her home’s dedication. She is an outstanding woman, and I am inspired by her passion for others, courage, and determination to succeed.

At the dedication ceremony on October 29, as I watched Monica Hernandez and her children receive the keys to their new home, I was shocked at how excited I was for this family. I am elated that they will begin their new lives in a home that I had a role in building. As I glanced around at the other volunteers I had come to know and saw their happy, satisfied faces as they watched the ceremony, I thought to myself, “This is truly what Habitat is all about: People coming together and giving a hand up, not a hand-out.”

- Christina Jacob