Drayden Sanchez picked through conglomerations of what people hoped would become something new, opening bags like a chef cracking eggs first thing every morning at the Keep Alliance Beautiful Recycling Center. Tragically, he passed away just weeks after joining our crew.
Drayden could be counted among a handful of employees I have hired since being promoted. He was conscientious and dedicated. Parking a few minutes after 8 o’clock, I would look up to see Drayden’s white BMW already at the west end of the lot. We exhausted our backlog of curbside bags to sort for the first time in weeks thanks to this new part-time high school student. In short: he was a great addition to KAB – the type of person you know will move on, yet you hope to hold onto as long as possible.
A couple of weeks ago it seemed Drayden planned to do just that. He called a few days later to say things fell through and asked to return to his two-hour shift. Sure. I assured him he could pick up where he left off and he did. Now, I regret not knowing him better.
Keep Alliance Beautiful does what it does with a dozen employees, give or take. At the recycling center, which I often think of as “the shop”, we are a close-knit group, crew or team at the current juncture and enjoy the camaraderie while striving to ship out hundreds of thousands of pounds of recycling each year. Though Drayden was not inclined to visit much on the job, which I can respect as an introvert, I know he liked working for KAB. We will miss him as our thoughts and prayers are with Drayden’s family, friends and everyone who loved him and knew him so much better than we did.