Thursday night was a change of pace for our warehouse: Christmas sweaters, decorative lights, snowflakes, and smells of dinner filled up the space where we usually load trucks and run trainings! We put on our holiday best and set the year's work on hold for the night of our winter Volunteer Appreciation Party. Dozens of guests were treated to food, fun, and more in a celebration of this whole year!
The Greater Los Angeles region has had plenty of milestones in 2019: installing solar for immigrant workers in Harbor City, veterans in Midway City, income-qualified homeowners all over Southern California, and much more. And since we couldn't do anything without dedicated trainees and volunteers, the Appreciation Party is a chance to shine a light on their triumphs. Adewale OgunBadejo, Workforce Development Manager, puts it like this: "From running more than fifty paid internships to passing our sixth megawatt of solar installed, 2019 has been a year of enormous impact."
Firstime celebration attendee Billy Anderson, of Watts, came to the party shortly after starting his first construction position with American Solar Power. In a period of just a few weeks, GLA has helped him start a new career, and he had good reason to celebrate! Billy put it like this: "It felt like with the stuff I learned, I probably can do more—learn more and upgrade myself to work for myself. Thank you, GRID."
The Workforce Development team of Adewale, David Andrade, and Nila Cousar chose to recognize some standout members of our community with distinctions. We applaud their exceptional partnerships and service:
- Freedom Solar and IBEW Local 11, Employers of the Year
- Nelson Cabral and Spencer Jefferson, Interns of the Year
- SHIELDS for Families, Job Training Organization of the Year
- Kevin Orellana, Most Dedicated Trainee
- Diane Louie and Ruben Montoya, Volunteers of the Year
- South Bay Workforce Investment Board, Youth Partner Organization of the Year
As December comes to an end, we thank each of our Board Members, partners from the community, and trainees/volunteers for being essential components of the work we do at GLA. We can't wait to bring renewable energy to more people who need it in 2020 – with your help.
Want to ensure our next year at GLA passes the milestones we set in 2019? Then donate to our end-of-year campaign. A gift of any size helps.