Last night CCEO YouthBuild partnered with Fresh and Easy for our first annual Shop for Schools Fundraiser.  The Shopping Night was held at the Fresh and Easy on Rosecrans and Aviation in Manhattan Beach.  5% of the total sales from 4pm to 8pm will be donated to CCEO YouthBuild.  Members and Staff helped customers to bag their groceries as well as greet and thank them for their support of our school.  All funds raised will go towards our school and its programming.  Thank you Fresh and Easy for recognizing CCEO YouthBuild as a worthy cause.

When asked to name an exceptional construction student, Lead Weatherization Trainer Kirk Henry replied “Melissa Thompson.”  While construction is oftentimes thought of as a man’s field, Melissa Thompson believes otherwise and we sat down to talk about her experiences thus far.  Melissa just finished her first trimester at CCEO YouthBuild while also being a part of our Construction Training Program.  Melissa was asked what made her join the Construction Crew, she said “I saw it as a challenge…I wanted to prove a point that women can do anything that men can.”  And boy did she prove a point!  Not only did she successfully complete her first trimester of training, over the holiday break she started her own Weatherization Business.  Melissa weatherized five homes, starting by working with family and then received referrals for other projects.

For Melissa, the most interesting aspect of construction, besides weatherization, is building a wall.  She looks at it metaphorically and compares it to the way she can build a future for her and her family.  “Life is like a wall and if I can build it slowly one day it will stand up all by itself.”  The most insightful thing Melissa shared with us was that CCEO is not just preparing her for life, it’s also preparing her for reality.  She said, “In reality you have to face your fears and do things you are not comfortable doing.”  It is evident that this young lady is going to go on and do some great things.  Best of luck to you Melissa and keep up the great work.

CCEO YouthBuild alumnae Daitoya Littleton has been selected as our first Recent Graduate Story Highlight of 2012.  Daitoya is currently attending Santa Monica College and working for After-school-All-Stars at ICEF Inglewood Charter Middle School.  She is also a part of the YouthBuild USA Voices Committee, an advisory counsel for Post Secondary Education.  Daitoya is also involved with the African American Colleagues Association (ACAA) on campus at SMC and attends meetings weekly.  ACAA helps to provide a two year roadmap to transfer, offers exclusive classes, and hosts numerous community service opportunities.  We spent some time discussing how YouthBuild has changed her outlook on giving back to the community.  Daitoya noted that “before YouthBuild I didn’t do community service, now I’m always willing to give a helping hand and feel good after doing a good deed.”  She aspires to transfer to UC Berkley and study kinesiology and physical therapy.  Ultimately Ms. Littleton wants to practice sports medicine. When asked to describe the most important thing she learned while at YouthBuild, she responded “[That] college is for everyone [and YouthBuild] encourages everyone to give it their best effort.  Being a part of YouthBuild gave me the extra push I needed to be successful.” On behalf of all CCEO staff, congratulations to Daitoya on her success!

On January 20^th the members of CCEO YouthBuild held a Motivational Parade around the Lennox neighborhood.  They walked around holding signs promoting volunteerism and community, as well as chanting motivational phrases.  Another example of our members coming together to promote something  positive.

Our fabulous Construction Crew here at CCEO has been partnering with Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate and refurbish a home for a family in South Gate Los Angeles.  Our team has been happy to serve while getting hands on experience utilizing the valuable construction skills they have been learning in the classroom.  The goal is to bring the house up to code by replacing windows, installing  new piping and new beans to make the structure more stable.

To celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. CCEO YouthBuild’s members and staff came together with City Year and the Walt Disney Company to make a profound impact on our community.  We joined over 1,000 volunteers to help revitalize Los Angeles Academy Middle School.  Throughout the course of the day 28 murals were painted to make the school environment more welcoming for the 2,000 plus students who attend there.  CCEO YouthBuild was proud to take part in making the learning experience more colorful for the youth in the communities we serve.