Ms. Veronica Elliott

Hungry

“Hungry.” I love that word so much, I really do. I am hungry – starving! When you’re hungry you have two choices – die, or go out there and get what you need by making it happen. I have a plan and a back-up plan and a back-up plan to that.

I hadn’t used math in such a long time so I had to learn it all over again. I can weatherize, I can sheetrock, I can build a roof. I was totally shocked to learn that you can calculate everything you need to get a job done and that means efficiency and savings. I am now a very precise person – I can calculate everything – how much gravel do you need to fill in a hole? How much sheet rock exactly?

What started as a way for me to get a new career has turned into some home improvement projects. We were going to hire someone to renovate the home office but now I’m doing it. My kids were like, “are you really going to do that?” Of course I am.

What I really want to do is build or weatherize buildings for seniors. You hear in the news that sometimes seniors die of heatstroke or frostbite in their own homes. Heat or A/C is going in, but it goes right back out. I’d like to work to fix that. Greyston really cares about people, they actually give us a chance to make a difference and I want to make that difference, for myself, my family, for others.

Mr. Gregory Hunter

“They saw my true potential and

never stopped believing in me.”

Why did I come to Yonkers Green Connection? Because I didn’t have a job and I didn’t have the skills I needed to get a job. My life is on track now. I just had a new baby, she’s 4 months old. My older kids are doing well, so I have my family but I need a job. I need benefits; I want to pay social security. I have a purpose. If I wasn’t supposed to be here I wouldn’t be here. I was shot in the chest when I was a teenager but even that didn’t convince me to change my ways.

I’m sad it took me this long to figure it out, but I’m not sad that I am here, now. I have been through a lot and I am blessed to be here.

My girlfriend and my mom and my sisters, they have held me down. They saw my true potential and never stopped believing in me. They waited for me to get it and now I got it. I’m hungry, I’m famished, and as long as you’re hungry you’re not going to stop. I cannot be complacent.

I know it may take some time to get a job, but I have a plan. After I graduate Yonkers Green Connection I am going get my Commercial Drivers License (CDL) to make myself more marketable and to continue a regular schedule of daily productivity. It feels so good to be productive. How can I be a real man if I don’t achieve every day, if I don’t take care of my family?

Mr. Lawrence Rose

I’m Holding on to a Grain of Hope

I’ve always worked in the periphery of the construction industry but I’ve never really been able to break into the field. The Yonkers Green Connection will definitely help me get my foot in the door. I worked as a car mechanic for eight years so I have experience in the technical trades, but a lot has changed since I was working then. There have been a lot of new innovations and we learned them at BOCES. The teacher was right there with all the new techniques so I upgraded what I already know.

I am really motivated to do this. I had some trouble but I put that behind me. I’m not the kind of person who would let bad experiences hold me back. I am looking forward to re-establishing myself as a positive influence.

Katherine and Nicole are really dedicated and that makes me enthusiastic to make their jobs easier.

I hope that this program would be available not just on a local scale but on a national scale. I hope programs like this are made available to re-train and enhance training for everyone who needs it, especially since we will soon see a regenerated workforce.

Are you available to start Monday morning at 7:30?

On Monday, August 17^th, 2009 Sylvester will begin his job doing weatherization for Green Star Energy Solutions! His last job – a great experience, was temporary but this isn’t!

Some of the buildings he will be working on will be those owned by New York State, saving tax dollars and saving the earth as well!

Sylvester explained:

I interviewed with Chris Puleo in the conference room at Greyston. He asked about my work ethic, punctuality, and respect for the people and places I would encounter in my work. I assured him that I can “speak the customer’s language” and get the job done.

Chris is looking for people with supervisory skills. He wants someone he can rely on. I told him about my skills with saws, sheet rock, and green weatherization. We had a conversation and Chris shared what its like working with clients and what I can expect.

I am feeling excited. I’ve been doing pick up work since graduation but this is the beginning of my new career.

I’m excited and ready to work. I never gave up. I always called, sometimes twice a week – even just to say hello, just to keep my name fresh in their heads. It’s really nice that they got the computer in the YGC office. I have been going in there to fill out applications for jobs on the computer.

Miss Dukes is a blessing. They’ve been kind. I didn’t think that they would extend their hand as far as they have. They write letters and fax info. They are helping me to get my license. They’ve don a lot and I appreciate that.

School is coming up and my son will need some things. Now I will be able to get them for him.

You're Hired!

Remember Ralph?

Remember Sylvester?

They both started working this week at:

Visit Green Tree's website here!

Congratulations, gentlemen!

Ms. Jenia Whitney

Jenia Whitney

“Everything is going green and I’m going green, too!”

I saw the flyer for this program at Greyston’s Child Care Center, and Mrs. Brown encouraged me to apply. I have my commercial driver’s license. I can drive all kinds of vehicles: dump trucks, flat beds, forklifts, vac trucks. If I take the education I’ve gotten through the Yonkers Green Connection program and add it to my experience, I’ll be in a great position to market myself in the green construction industry.

I grew up in Yonkers, so I remember Greyston from way back. I knew the mission and always wanted to be a part of it. Now I am. Mr. Line from BOCES was great, excellent. I knew how to do math, but he taught us how to apply it, a very important skill! I’ve learned how to read blueprints, create a business plan, and so much more. Miss Dukes taught us that we are all replaceable. It’s up to you to be hungry and want this, or someone else will have that hunger.

“Green” is the new era of working today and any training that a person can get in this field is an asset to both their personal and professional life.

Mr. Sylvester Williamson

“Do You Have Any Homework, Dad?” – Sylvester’s 9 year-old son

I saw the flyer on the ground in Getty Square and thought that this might be the right program for me. I thought, “what am I going to lose?” I can’t lose too much more than I already have. I called Miss Dukes for what felt like 1,000 times, but we played phone tag. She finally caught up with me at 5:30 on a Sunday night. I had to hurry up and test, get my paperwork together, and jump into the program. She said that she could see I was hungry and persistent. She’s right. The Yonkers Green Connection program is different from other programs because everyone has a reason to learn: to get a job.

If I went into the field right now I’d know how to do the job because of two reasons: the teacher did an excellent job, and we all helped each other – these guys are no joke – they are disciplined. On the bus rides from BOCES back to Yonkers we would elaborate on the coursework, tutor each other, read the materials, and study.

My son watches me in this program and I am a positive role model for him. He’s on the strait and narrow, and you can thank his mom for that. This program has changed my relationships. I am definitely more positive, and also, I can fix stuff around the house! Even my son knows I’m going to accomplish the goals I set for myself. He says he can’t wait for Christmas this year. My success in this program demonstrates that I am committed to making positive changes in my life.

Everything will come in its time. I’m pretty sure that all I have to do is keep trying, keep my hopes up, and take it one day at a time.