Kids lead way for green donations

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An extraordinary thing happened when an Albuquerque woman took her visiting nephew to the greenhouse where she works. A seed was planted, and it grew.

One evening a while back, Randall Pietrocci, 12, went to work with his aunt at ARCA's Greenhouse in Corrales.

"There's a lot of plants there and there's a couple green houses for flowers and stuff, and some to grow organic food to sell to different companies and stuff and there's one that grows wheatgrass," Pietrocci said.

He got a little bored, so he picked up a brochure.

"He asked me if it was true if making a one dollar donation could make a difference in the lives of people with developmental disabilities. I said yes," ARCA Development Director Michelle Cody said.

The 12-year-old wanted to help.

"I took him to his grandmother's house. As I was leaving, he handed me two one dollar bills and said this is all I brought to Albuquerque with me, but if it can make a difference I want it to go to ARCA," Cody said.

That was the seed. Soon other kids associated with the greenhouse dug in, and founded United Family and Friends, or UFAF, to help raise money.

"We're trying to convert this green house into solar power," Ricky Alire with United Family and Friends said. "It's good for the earth, which is a big deal right now since we're losing our ozone layer."

The efforts of the children have not gone unnoticed.

"People in other states have found out but what these kids are doing and are sending checks to the ARCA foundation in honor of the work being done in UFAF," Cody said.

ARCA's goal is to raise $30,000 by the end of April to cover the cost of converting the greenhouse to solar power.

If you'd like to contribute, call ARCA at 332-6803, or log onto their website.