carpenters, community, union

Boys & Girls Club & IKORCC Launch Project Blueprint

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carpenters, community, union

IKORCC Business Rep Kyle Gresham works with students at the launch of Project Blueprint in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

When the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne began their quest for a blueprint for great futures for their students, we knew it was a perfect project for the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

Not only did union carpenters help build the new Boys & Girls Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we’ve also helped plan, build & introduce curriculum for a one-of-a-kind program called Project Blueprint.

Project Blueprint exposes kids to careers in skilled trades like carpentry, flooring, welding, electric, manufacturing and more. The idea is to show kids career options after high school other than the traditional four-year college pathway.

“That’s the key, exposing kids to careers early on so they can really dream about what is that they really like doing. This is what this program is all about,” says Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne CEO Joe Jordan.

Project Blueprint is the first of its kind in the country. Kids utilize the curriculum and learn to plan, layout, and build structures. A special room in the new Boys & Girls Club will make it easier for students to focus on their projects. The Project Blueprint room features workstations, tools, welding and more.

IKORCC Business Representative Kyle Gresham says, “From its very inception, we’ve been involved. From serving on the advisory board, helping create a curriculum, to working on projects with students.”

“It really recharges me to see how excited these young people are to try something new and realize that they can do anything they set their mind to,” Kyle adds.

Community partners are also excited for the project, on Tuesday night the Boys & Girls Club received over $200,000 in donations for materials to keep the project moving.

Signatory union contractors MKS (Michael Kinder & Sons) built the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne with interior work by Rosema.

 

 

 

 

carpenters scholarships

Congrats to our 2019 Scholarship Winners

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carpenters scholarshipsCongratulations to our 2019 Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Scholarship Program recipients!  40 students received a $1,000 scholarship toward tuition, room, and board, or books to a trade school or college.

Twenty recipients earned scholarships based upon their high school grade point average and SAT or ACT scores. Another twenty were selected randomly.

Recipients were sons, daughters, and dependent children of members of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. Parents or guardians must be members in good standing of the IKORCC for at least one year. The son, daughter, or dependent child must be a high school graduating senior or be attending a college, university or trade school as a full-time student.

Congratulations to the following 2019 IKORCC Scholarship recipients:

 

Jillian Brewster
Gabrielle Conley
Megan Dedelow
Ryan Ennis
Madeline Evans
Molly Fisher
Daniel Fugiett
Dakota Goetz
Erin Gonzales
Lyric Green
Alexis Harmes
Lincoln Howard
Trevor Howard
Blake Jenkins
Joshua Kirksey
Kirstin Knox
Alexis Krizner
Miranda Lavey
Lauren Marsh
Ryan McConnell
Dylan Mecum
Alyvia Messer
Christopher Newlin
Charlie Nunes
Liam Parsons
Andrew W Polen
Hailey Reffitt
Lyndi Reinhold
Tyler Rettig
Kayla Rutter
Autumn Schmidt
Ty Sheahan
Benjamin Smith
Kylie Snyder
Raegan Stinnett
Ashley Talaga
Tanner Tsvetkoff
Lauren Wallace
Skyler Wildfong
Connor Wilson

 

Carpenters Union Donates 170+ Smoke Detectors to local Fire Station

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When Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) Business Representative and Akron Local 285 member Abe Bruner, read in a local paper that 9 in 10 fires around Akron could have been prevented from spreading, he knew it was time to take action. Homes and families without a functioning smoke detector are at greater risk to be affected by a fire.

“More than 22 fire deaths have occurred in the last two years [in Akron].  A number of those homes did not have functioning smoke detectors”, says Lieutenant Lash.

As a Member Action Committee party chairperson in his local, Abe decided to do something about it.  Beginning last year, the committee rounded up their resources and donated around 80 new smoke detectors for the Akron Fire Department.  Lt. Lash says the department strives to get working smoke detectors on every floor or level of homes in need.

With the help of Akron Local 285, Millwright’s Local 1090, Cleveland Locals 435 and 373, Tri-County Building Trades in Akron, and Donley’s Construction; this year they have over doubled the previous years’ donation.

Around 176 new smoke detectors were donated through Captain Haas at the Akron Fire Department this past Friday, July 26th.  The Akron Fire Department will be installing these new smoke detectors into homes of families in need around the City of Akron. Haas hopes to get a new, fully functioning smoke detector in every home.

 

The committee is grateful to have the opportunity to help their community and hopes to get even more donations set up for next year.

 

(Featured in photo from left to right: Captain Haas, Kristin Fox, Rob Treichel, Abe Bruner, LT. Joe Falkenstein, Marcus Wagner.)