KCE Albany, Houston Offices Volunteer in the Community

As a mission-driven team, we take pride in giving back to causes that support the communities where we live and work. This month, our teams based in Albany and Houston were excited to volunteer at the Northeastern Avian Rescue and at KidWind Challenge at the Young Women’s College Prep Academy.

The KidWind Challenge, a hands-on design celebration that engages students through the lens of wind and solar energy, was held at Young Women’s College Prep Academy. Our Houston-based team worked with students as they designed, constructed and tested small-scale wind turbines. Our volunteers had an awesome experience engaging with students as they explored different ways of making renewable energy technology come to life.  

KCE Office Manager Kelli Ramirez reflected on the experience, stating, “Teaching the next generation about renewables was both rewarding and fun. An added plus was that the students are a part of our community.”

The KCE team based in Albany volunteered with the Northeast Avian Rescue (NEAR), a capital region bird rescue nonprofit dedicated to their mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and re‐home abused, neglected, or otherwise unwanted parrots and other exotic pet birds. NEAR is run by four individuals who go above and beyond to find safe, loving and permanent homes for the birds that come into their shelter. Taking care of 100+ birds can be a lot of hard work, so volunteering really helps their organization.

According to Ashley Vankempen, KCE’s Accounts Payable Specialist who planned the event, “For the animal lovers at Key Capture Energy, this cause is ‘NEAR’ and dear to our hearts. We were not afraid to get our hands dirty in assisting with cleaning the bird’s cages, toys, and food/water bowls. Many of the birds enjoy talking and being around humans and other animals as it is an important aspect in their quality of life. This was mutually beneficial since the KCE team also enjoyed being around them and talking with the birds! Every little bit helps and working with these amazing creatures was extremely rewarding.”

These experiences provided our team with a great opportunity to give back to our community and local organizations that are focused on making a difference.