“Together we can”. This message, written by a Corps Member at the first gathering of the corps after Sandy, hangs with others behind my desk. It is a reminder of the force at the heart of Green City Force: the power of community. A community of passionate people, dedicated to making change. Together we can: change our own lives. Change the environment which we share. Change prospects for all aspiring young adults, who deserve equal opportunity to prosper and grow. Green City Force is each one of us helping to build an eco-system where all young adults are valued as an essential part of the “green city” we want to see. 2013 is a year of growth, big challenges and big opportunities for GCF. We need each one of you: donate, volunteer, hire a graduate, help us recruit the next cohort. Together we can!

Lisbeth

PS: check out other messages from Corps Members after Sandy in our slide show here.

PPS: Make an on-line donation here. We need your help more than ever!

 Results are in for the Love Where You Live Challenge, funded by Alcoa Foundation +and Google and designed with the involvement of  two cohorts of GCF Corps Members- and it was a big success! As reported on NYCHA’s blog, the Challenge was “a friendly competition among Chelsea Houses, Chelsea Addition and Elliott Houses in Manhattan to see which development could reduce its energy consumption by the greatest amount through resident behavior change (…) in partnership with NYCHA's Green Agenda. “I look forward to waking up every morning and being a part of this Green Challenge, because I know that people are looking forward to seeing us in their developments every day having us help them reduce their energy use,” said GCF Corps Member Christie Reyes. Read more about the results here and stay tuned!

The Community Environmental Center has been a close partner to GCF and employed nearly 20 Graduates over the past 3 years. Olga Souto, Director of Low-Income Program Services for the Community Environmental Center, has played a critical role in supporting graduates and working with GCF on multiple levels as we have launched and grown our program. We spoke recently with Olga, who shared that, “GCF has been our primary workforce partner over the past few years. Some of the GCF graduates have grown to be core members of my team and some of our most trusted and reliable employees.” More from Olga coming soon on our blog.

Welcome Michael Johnson-Chase, GCF's new Director of Green City Academy, who joins us from Solar One! “I am incredibly excited to join Green City Force because of their passionate and holistic commitment to sustainability, economic transformation and social justice. It’s an extraordinary model.” MJC is the latest to join GCF, following Echoing Green ’95 Fellow Luis De Los Santos and Oronde Tenant this fall. Read their bios here.

 After three years with GCF, Raheem Nuamah is moving on to pursue his dream to become an engineer. His message to Corps Members: "Taking an initiative even when nothing is guaranteed is integral to becoming a success in any career path you take. Being a part of the Green City Force Family has...proved to me that working hard at any task, no matter how small, is appreciated by all and is a valuable skill to have." Read Raheem's letter to the Corps here. We will miss you Raheem! Best of luck as a Junior Engineer with NY State.

GCF Founder Lisbeth Shepherd was honored last weekend along with Marie Trellu-Kane and Anne-Claire Pache for co-founding Unis-Cité in 1994. Unis-Cité, modeled after City Year, engages 2000 Corps Members a year in 50 cities in France and inspired the AmeriCorps-like program called the Service Civique. Coca-Cola Light sponsored the award, part of the annual “Femmes en Or” event that recognizes exceptional achievements by women, in the category “Femmes de Coeur”. Read more here.

Thanks to Capital One, the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), and the William C. Bullitt Foundation, and to the Community Service Society for their renewed support! And, many thanks again to the Robin Hood Foundation and all of those who contributed to our Sandy relief efforts, including Corps Members and alumni.