Computer Engineers Trade In Keyboard, Mouse For Hammer, Nails

More than 50 computer engineers from Plurimus Corporation in Durham working on 11 homes on Darby Street in Raleigh. Although times are tough to tech companies these days, Plurimus still makes time for community service.

"We believe that the foundation of any successful company is the community, and we just wanted to come out here and show our appreciation and support for the community," says Howard Shange, vice-president of Plurimus.

The dedication of companies like Plurimus does not come as a surprise to

Habitat For Humanity

officials.

"I've had people call and say we're stressed out or we're worried about mergers or layoffs," says Pete Farquhar of Habitat for Humanity. "We want to come out and use this as a morale builder."

Plurimus admits its motivation is two-fold. Not only does it want to help the community, it is using Habitat as a team-building exercise to develop better employees. For workers, it is a chance to get out of the office for a good cause.

"It's a lot of fun. It's a different environment and it's a lot of fun to do it," says computer engineer Marcia Pines.

Habitat for Humanity says corporate financial donations often drop during tough times, but so far, volunteer efforts have not suffered.