Always stalwarts of their community, St. Louis Local 1 and its NECA contractors jumped in to help in a big way after a deadly tornado ravaged areas of north St. Louis in May 2025, leaving residents traumatized amid $1 billion in wreckage.

Hailed as a first-of-its-kind recovery initiative, the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection team launched Reconnect STL, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars while bringing together city officials, suppliers and various agencies to streamline the process of restoring power to homes and business.

This spring, the St. Louis Business Journal honored the project with an “Innovation in Philanthropy Award,” capturing the May 16, 2025, nightmare in the words of a homeowner who said: “I turned off my phone and began to pray.”

“Reconnect STL helped answer those prayers,” the Journal wrote, noting that “Fly-by-night contractors were exploiting vulnerable people. Others had lost important documents, and insurance providers denied claims, if they even had insurance. They needed professional help. The city couldn’t wait for federal aid to arrive. It had to act, and industry leaders answered the call.”

The IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection also won the award in 2024 for its work with Rebuilding Together St. Louis, a project now in its 23rd year that deploys volunteers en masse for a day to make free home repairs for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. Photos are from the most recent repairs in April.