Calpine Russell City Energy Center: The power of caring
by Deborah Kirk
Calpine Russell City Energy Center was built in Hayward in 2012. That same year, the team’s commitment to wishes began to grow.
“Make-A-Wish has a mission that we feel very close to,” explains Sarah Farlie, business operations analyst at Calpine. “Children’s health and happiness are things we want to fight for. We support Make-A-Wish because we can trust that the money we donate is going to a great cause.”
The plant began operation in 2013 and uses natural gas to generate electricity that feeds into the PG&E power grid. Calpine Russell City also has the distinction of being the country’s first power plant to receive a federal air permit that includes a voluntary limit on greenhouse gas emissions. As Farlie notes, not only does the plant serve the greater community through its vital power generation, it also makes a difference in residents’ lives.
“Part of our mission at Calpine Russell City is to do volunteer work, so when we can help make a child’s wish come true, it brings us together as a company,” says Farlie. “We are a team of about twenty-seven people, and we can all feel proud of our contributions when we support Make-A-Wish.”
"...when we can help make a child’s wish come true, it brings us together as a company. ... We can all feel proud of our contributions when we support Make-A-Wish."
Sarah Farlie
Business Operations Analyst, Calpine
Sarah’s wish to go to Disney World was adopted by Calpine in 2022.
Calpine uses the acronym “ASPIRE” to underscore its core values—the qualities it upholds as a company as well as the ones it looks for in its community partnerships. A stands for accountability, S is for safety, P is for passion, I is for integrity, R is for respect, and E is for esprit de corps.
In deciding to partner with Make-A-Wish, Calpine Russell City found that the nonprofit was a kindred spirit, a trusted organization with similar “ASPIRE” values and a deep commitment to the community. Beginning in 2012, Calpine pledged to donate $1,000 a month to the Greater Bay Area chapter. Thirteen years later, the Russell City team has given more than $170,000 in support of wish kids.
“We’re so grateful for the years of support we’ve received from Calpine Russell City,” says Director of Corporate Development Anne Muldoon. “The team understands the transformational power of a wish and the strength and resilience of our wish kids and families. We can’t grant wishes without our partners, and Calpine Russell City is the perfect partner to have in our corner.”
In honor of their commitment of more than $10,000 each year, Calpine Russell City annually receives an Adopt-A-Wish plaque with an individual wish story. These plaques go up on the center’s “Wall of Heroes,” where they serve as a source of pride and inspiration for Calpine employees.
“Each story is unique, and within each story is an individual,” says Farlie. “When we get to know these individuals’ stories, it makes it so much more personal for us.”
One plaque tells the story of Sarah, a 6-year-old girl who had a long and difficult battle with leukemia. Sarah had to undergo two bone marrow transplants and for months she couldn’t even go outside due to her weakened immune system. She had to miss out on some of childhood’s greatest pleasures. When she learned she would get a wish, Sarah was so excited to go to Disney World, meet Minnie Mouse and her favorite princesses, and do the kinds of things that other children her age might take for granted. Today, the plaque telling Sarah’s story is prominently displayed on Calpine Russell City’s Wall of Heroes and it says “Thank you, Calpine Russell City Energy Center, for making wishes like Sarah’s come true!”
“Every time we look at stories like Sarah’s, we are reminded of the importance of Make-A-Wish’s mission,” Farlie says. “Bringing happiness to children and their families really gives us such a sense of pride and unity.”