Midland, Michigan (May 25, 2019)- The staff and the Board of Directors of The Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) are pleased to announce it has received a $125,059 Grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A Dow Foundation to construct a Pole Barn that will provide shelter against in-climate weather for Habitat For Humanity homes built by its apprentices on its property. This will shorten the timeline on the construction and in turn will create an opportunity to build even more Habitat homes.
Four years ago the Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) developed a community partnership with Midland County’s Habitat for Humanity organization to construct first homes for qualified families in Midland County. “This relationship was a fantastic marriage of the gifts that Habitat provides for deserving families and the Midland County high school and adult apprentices that are being educated at GMCA” said Cathy Geiger, Director of Development of GMCA. “With materials donated by Habitat’s partnerships and our building trades students in carpentry, electrical, HVAC and plumbing providing the hands-on skills, we’ve just recently finished constructing our third Habitat home”.
“The result of this partnership between GMCA & Habitat for Humanity has now been forged and we believe that this is wonderful way for us to donate back into a community that has been so great for our contractor members and their apprentices” said Frank Pytlowany of AIS Equipment, Board Chair for GMCA. The Greater Michigan Construction Academy is a 501c3 non profit organization and is a nationally certified training program using the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) curriculum making the training portable nationwide for students completing modules. The curriculum is recognized by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Apprenticeship Training.