A Tale of Success and Delight!

Soooo yesterday was great, from beginning to end. It all started when Kara, Daquan and I met with a business owner downtown. He passed the Greenback$ energy efficiency checklist with flying colors and we got him signed up for his free energy audit. Just making Grand Junction a greener place, one business at a time : )

In the afternoon, our team did some canvassing in Fruita, CO. We mixed up the partners and so Robert and I became a team for the week. Dare I say, a tag team?! I feel like we both brought different strengths to the job. We pounded the pavement and spoke with numerous homeowners about the energy efficiency programs available in the county. One of the streets we canvassed on consisted of single-level trailer homes. I never felt more needed during this project than I did today. The homeowners were extremely friendly and appreciative. Not only did a majority of them immediately know that they income qualified for the free services, but almost all of them didn't even know that these programs existed. They seemed to be beyond grateful that we had come by. It was a really good feeling to know that we were able to relay this information to needy individuals, whom could potentially save hundreds of dollars on their bills. Also, just knowing that they will be more comfortable and safe in their home for years to come is a heartwarming feeling. Many homeowners were pleasantly surprised that we weren't soliciting anything and even invited inside their homes. We had meaningful conversations with people who were thrilled to see that the county is reaching out to help them. Even after our 2 hour canvassing session had come to a close, we were approached unexpectedly by a homeowner who had initially said he wasn't interested in hearing about the programs. He ran after us to (across the street and about 4 houses down) to tell us that he wasn't thinking when he said he wasn't interested. He said a family member lived a street over and could desperately use our assistance. He lives alone, is disabled and is struggling to pay his bills. Robert and I were so glad he had chased us down. This moment made this whole project worth it for me. We plan on going back to this neighborhood to finish up our route and then some!

Our work day ended with a meeting with the city council. Our sponsor, Kathy Portner announced our efforts to the mayor of Grand Junction and all the council members. It was really nice to get recognized in front of some of the most important people in the city. Mayor Tom Kenyon seemed to really appreciate us being here and called us the official 'Green Team' of the city : )

In other news.....Will Pearson is here for two additional nights. That's always good : )

-Meredith