Blue Raven held its first annual Solar Giveaway, installing a complete solar power system for free to Utah resident Matt Smith. Installers and many employees from headquarters gathered at his home in West Valley, Utah for the culminating event of this project, the solar installation.
“Matt was nominated by his dad who is also a Blue Raven Solar customer. We were really touched by his story,” said Ben Peterson, President of Blue Raven Solar.
Matt was born with a neurological disorder. When he was 30-years-old, he had a stroke that left him nearly helpless.
Over the next year, Matt’s wife, Deann, faithfully helped him regain his motor skills. Almost a year to the day after his stroke, Deann suddenly collapsed from a heart attack, which was fatal. Matt was left to raise his daughter on his own with limited mobility and resources. It has no doubt been a struggle, but Matt’s grit and dedication to his daughter are noteworthy. With solar powering his home, Matt will free up additional resources to support his family.
On the day of the installation, many of the employees had a chance to participate in the event. They spent the day learning from the installers about safety, trying on harnesses, reviewing forms, bending pipe, and even got practice mounting a panel.
Peterson continued, “Most of these folks work in our office so they don’t get a chance to touch and feel the equipment. This is a really exciting opportunity for us to help the office to get to know what it is we do.”
Ben Wade, National Installation Manager, explained why he appreciated the opportunity to participate in this giveaway:
“We’re here today because we want to connect to the community… We have a strong culture to work together, not only with each other, but also with members of the community… It’s very important that we have relationships of trust.”
Getting involved in the local community is one of the main goals of the Helping Hands Solar Giveaway at Blue Raven. Jeff Lee, VP of Sales Operations and Co-Founder, put it this way, “We love solar. We love this renewable energy and being able to give people energy independence.”
