Korey Luttman Inspires Crowd at Graduation
For Local 301’s Korey Luttman, the things he learned in his apprenticeship weren’t just a way to make money, they were a metaphor for his life. He shared his inspiring story of courage and perseverance at the Indiana/Kentucky graduation in October.
“It’s important to build your life on a solid foundation and have structure to keep you stable. When all the weight of the world is on your shoulders, this will keep you firm and stable in your life,” Korey said.
Korey’s foundation was not solid. He was raised in a broken home with parents that suffered from drug addiction. He jumped from school to school, without guidance he was angry and eventually started using drugs and getting into trouble with the police. By the age of 20, he was in prison. “During this point in my life, I was so lost and confused. But I knew I wanted more for myself.”
When he was released from prison, he focused on that goal. He got his life together, married his best friend Lindsey, had a baby girl and started building a future. Despite the better direction, he struggled with supporting his family. His landscaping job had low pay and no benefits. Then, a friend introduced him to Gary Trout, an IKORCC business rep.
Korey was nervous on the way to his interview. “It’s hard to find a job when you’ve served time,” he said. Then, Gary told him what the union is about and that was, “not judging people from their past, but accepting who they are in the present”.
Shortly after Korey started his apprenticeship, but the stresses of having a new baby, attending school and working sent him down a bad path. “During the 2nd year of my apprenticeship, the cracks of my foundation started to show and I turned back to alcohol and drugs to help me cope. I was putting a band-aid on something that needed stitches,” he said.
Korey said it was at this time God intervened. He joined a church, found his true identity and truly started building his life on a solid foundation. In February, Korey will celebrate three years of sobriety. Today, he gives back to the community by helping people overcome their addictions and find meaning in their lives.
His graduation speech was truly moving. We encourage you to watch the full video below:
Carpenters Build Wheelchair Ramps for Community
Carpenters Build Wheelchair Ramps for Community By Nick Pollock A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, Local 1485 learned that a lifelong resident of LaPorte, Indiana had been enduring some health issues for several months. He’d been in the hospital and after a difficult recovery was on the path to coming home. The family was excited […]
Member Builds Park to Honor Son
September 21, 2020 the unthinkable happened for David Sweeney. David is a 1st year floor-laying apprentice out of Local 171 in the Youngstown area. He answered his door to learn the news that his 4-year-old son, Rowan, was senselessly murdered. His life was changed forever.
In the next few months, his family had to figure out how to pick up the pieces of their life after their tragedy. They wanted a way to honor and memorialize their playful, energetic, happy son. After much thought, the
family landed the vision to build a park in his honor.
Plans for the park include quality, accessible equipment for everyone to enjoy. Their hope is that this park will serve as a memorial for other families experiencing similar loss or tragedy, too.
Local 171 has been helping share the fundraising events to help the family meet their goal and when they do, they plan to help build the park as well.
When area representatives learned of the possibility to get help through Carpenters Care, they applied for help. Carpenters Care intends to plan a fundraising event to benefit the Rowan Memorial Park Trust, (more details will be provided to locals across the council in the coming months).
If you are interested in donating directly to the cause, you can do so at www.rowansmemorialpark.com/donation.