Richmond: Greetings from Richmond, California! This week Richmond Energy Specialists have been on top of it, as this past week has been our busiest week yet. Each team has as many as 5 appointments a day, which almost seems like its not enough, as they power through them, looking for more. Our newest member Laura has been scheduling appointments like crazy, calling the Spanish speakers on the wait list and we are all very impressed with the rapid growth of her professionalism and the professionalism of her teammates. Some of our Energy Specialists have been working hard on and off the job, already having other jobs lined up that pay $12.00/hr! It feels amazing to be able to make people smile and to help the community with passion. Alex also did a wonderful job substituting for me as I was out for a family funeral. That’s the great news from Richmond, California!!!!-Louis
Oakland: With the final week of Green House Calls comes a lot of emotions. We all feel so proud and impressed when we look at our body of work through the summer. Some of our goals we greatly exceeded and with others, we came so close. But overall, this summer has affected all of us. The youth learned more than they could have imagined about professionalism, energy efficiency and most importantly, about themselves. I’m so proud of all of them! I know I will never forget my summer in the Oakland community. Thank you everyone!-Chris
Fremont: As the concept of CYES coming to an end finally sinks in, I have realized that this program has taught me much more than light bulbs, recycling methods and elevator pitches, but also a few life skills I will be sure to remember throughout my life. I have learned that sometimes you have to accept people and things the way they are instead of trying to mold them into what you wish they would be. Sometimes the situations you find yourself in are going to suck, although it is within your power to choose how you are going to act upon them. I have realized that I am not always going to have that perfect partner with whom I can constantly agree with, laugh with, and bond with. Will Rich is not always going to take on the day alongside me. And I have learned to accept that.
I don’t like to think of this as a bittersweet ending, but as another completed chapter. So without further ado, thank you Darren Kumar for your leadership and compassion, thank you Christeen Davis, for your wisdom and friendship, thank you Arbaz Quraishi, for allowing me to express myself on this blog, and thank you California Youth Energy Services, for another unforgettable summer. -Until next time, Energy Specialist, Erica Andrada
What a great summer! My site provided an excellent service to more than two hundred and sixty San Leandro residents and we all enjoyed doing so. We ended up near the top in terms of how many homes we served, but that is only part of what made our site so wonderful. Throughout the summer, I bragged about how cool our site was. I am so proud of how San Leandro developed into the close team we became. With friendly drive-by’s and cute pranks on each others’ cars, I think our site’s ES’s likely had more fun than most teenagers in a typical summer.
San Leandro: I am so happy to have worked with each one of you Energy Specialists and my fantastic managers. I felt like you all brought something different to the table, whether it be knowledge of a second language or simply compassion for others, and for that, I will be forever grateful to all of you. Thank you to the HQ staff for all the behind-the-scenes work that makes our program possible. Thank you to my managers for guiding the site and mentoring me with all your worldly wisdom. And lastly, thank you to all our ES’s who made our site such a great group of people to work with. I wish you all the best! So long from San Leandro!-Will
