Children's Investment Fund

   Youth and education became a focus of the Spokane Alliance several years ago, as Alliance institutions became aware of the detrimental trends occurring in the youth population--a dropout rate of nearly 30% in Spokane County, for instance. 

   The fund is modeled after other similar efforts in Miami, Portland and Seattle, and the Alliance is currently exploring options to have the fund placed on the ballot.    

· An annual audit will be produced which will demonstrate the progress made by each grantee as well as how the funds were spent

· The levy has a 6 year sunset clause

· Only programs with evidence based, best practice, and proven programs with measurable results will be funded

· All funding decisions will be made publicly by the Citizens Oversight Committee with community input

· Grantees will be required to track client and program data to demonstrate results

   Last week was the first week that Matt Gill and Thomas Calabro have worked since early August.

   The two were both members in a three person crew that completed the first full week of energy audits in South Perry during the week of January 11^th. 10 audits were done in all, with a second and third week of audits to follow. Along with Thomas and Matt, Brian Ostrander, a second year apprentice worked and gained valuable experience, was part of the crew.

   By offering a unique service to clients, with the bundling of incentives, packaging of materials and project inspection, SustainableWorks plans to continue operating in the economic downturn to stimulate job creation and reduce energy consumption. 

   “People are sick of companies with no integrity, and Sustainable works offers a service and savings to customers as well as putting people back to work,” Matt explained.

   Any work is a welcome change, as construction has plummeted during the recession. An unemployed list of a couple hundred still sits waiting for work to begin at both of Matt and Thomas’ respective locals. For Matt and Thomas this year has set a record for lowest earned income, along with the many others in the building and construction trades who have been laid-off. 

   “They are all hurt, no matter what trade they are in,” Thomas said.

   But SustainableWorks promises to help alleviate some of the tensions due to the stumbling economy. Putting folks back to work doing energy audits is only the first stage, as more work will be generated when homeowners start receiving retrofits in February.

   “When this thing takes off, it will be a win-win,” Thomas said.

   SustainableWorks stands to not only put tradesmen back to work, but help families lower their energy expenses while lowering carbon consumption—truly a WIN-WIN. 

   The work done by Matt, Thomas and Brian, has not only been rewarding due to the scarcity of work, or their pride in it, but because of the satisfaction of the clients when energy bills are slashed. During a particular month, one SustainableWorks customer had their bill cut in half after a SustainableWorks energy retrofit was installed.   

   “With SustainableWorks, the customer can actually see the result,” Thomas said.

  If you are interested in finding out more about what SustainableWorks can do for you and your community, visit www.sustainableworks.com