Living in the Central Valley, asthma is a common health problem and can be very dangerous. To help keep symptoms to a minimum, Olga Casarez sets the thermostat in her home to a comfortable 75 degrees during the day. Being a widow with limited income it is difficult to keep up with her rising energy bills. She has looked into solar for her home previously but after checking with several companies, she realized the cost was much more than she could afford. Fortunately, her granddaughter Adela referred her to GRID Alternatives after recently having her own home installed with solar.
She could not have been more pleased with the installation process, which GRID completed in late February. Olga stated, “The installers were very polite, capable and well trained.” Being the warmhearted person that she is, she made sure the construction staff and volunteers knew that her home was open to them if they needed to rest and that lunch would be ready at noon. She is grateful for the fact that she qualified for the solar system and that she is helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With her house, having been built in 1954 she’s had to put a lot of work into it, and said that the solar panels would only add to her special home. She mentions that a positive attitude and a lots of prayers helped make all of this possible.
Olga feels she has been very fortunate in life and has always done her best to give back to her community. She was born in the border city of El Paso, Texas and from there moved to Salinas. In 1954 she moved to Fresno, California and bought the home that she is still living in today. She has always had a passion for helping others, especially children. She has raised three girls and a boy of her own, and three girls who came through foster care. She took care of them for over two years until their birth mother was ready and able to care for them again. She is now retired but was a teacher and mentor to migrant students and helped to keep them in school and discover career paths to pursue. She believes in the importance of education, especially for those who are less fortunate so that they have a chance at a brighter future.