The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters supported an evening of giving and education on the effects of heart health in the construction industry. The IKORCC was the presenting sponsor at the American Heart Association Hard Hats with Heart networking event. We value this partnership because our members face many of the health risks related to cardiovascular diseases on a daily basis. May it be the level of stress they face on a jobsite or the lack of healthy eating options in the surrounding areas, they are all risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. As we move forward in our efforts to keep our members heart healthy, we will be implementing a wellness program that will focus on how to live a healthier life. We will educate members on many topics such as how to maintain blood suagr levels, eating better and reducing blood pressure, to maintaining a healthy weight and stop smoking.

The American Heart Association launched Hard Hats with Heart two years ago in order to focus on heart health within the construction industry. According to the American Heart Association, direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular diseases and stroke total more than $316.6 billion. That includes health expenditures and lost productivity. In order to improve the overall heart health of our membership we must educate ourselves on the risks we may face in our day-to-day activities. The risk factors for construction workers vary from smoking, the lack of a well-rounded diet and high blood pressure, to diabetes and high cholesterol. The widespread presence of heart disease in construction is slightly higher than all other industries. This research comes as a surprise because on average construction workers tend to be younger and they experience physical demands daily. We are flooded with statistics of the risks factors we face as workers in the construction industry. As we are educated on these risks, it is our job to make a change in our own lives so we won’t become another statistic.

Nicholas & Olivia – they’re just two of the reasons Indianapolis carpenters volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House of Indianapolis last week. Carpenters helped patients and families take a much-needed break from the hospital to build keepsake toolboxes. It’s a simple thing that makes a big difference to families.

The Indianapolis event is one of many “Carpenters Caring for Kids” events at area Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio Ronald McDonald Houses. It’s just one of the ways our carpenters, millwrights and floorcoverers are building their communities. 

10-year old Nicholas and his mom traveled all the way from Chicago to Riley Hospital for an appointment with his neurologist. His mom is excited about the recent progress he’s made in learning to walk, the neurologist in Indianapolis really helped with that. With her other children hours away and a limited income, the ability to stay at the Indianapolis Ronald McDonald House is crucial to Nicholas’ continued progression. There she can stay for free, have a nice meal with her son and on days when the carpenters are around, she gets to see Nicholas smile while doing something he loves. 

Watch the video below to see just how much this event meant to her and other families staying at the Indianapolis Ronald McDonald House. 

The Junior Achievement Center of Kentuckiana is looking a little more diverse this school year with a new storefront that explores skilled trades in carpentry, floorcovering and as a millwright. 

It’s a perfect time for students, to learn more about the high paying careers in skilled trades, an area that is experiencing a nationwide shortage of skilled craftsman. The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to introduce Union Trades into the Chase JA Finance Park.

The Chase JA Finance Park will be a sight to see and you won’t want to miss it! The walls of the space are designed to take students through the stages of being a Union Tradesman. As you make your way through the space you’ll see descriptions of milestones, salaries, great benefits and the opportunities for growth. We are thrilled to be part of the Junior Achievement Center of Kentuckiana.

Chase JA Finance Park sets the scene for middle and high school students to live a day in the life of an adult with a career, job, family, and a background that creates their lifestyle. Based on many factors the students create and use their personal budget while in JA Finance Park. Students will be assigned a job working for the IKORCC and will learn to live life as a Union Carpenter.

The IKORCC represents more than 32,000 professional tradespeople in 33 locals in Indiana, Kentucky, and parts of West Virginia and Tennessee. A proud affiliate of the

United Brotherhood of Carpenters, which has a century-plus tradition of representing the best of building trades.

The IKORCC has proudly partnered with local schools in the area to provide Career Connections Curriculum for the building trades instructors. The provided Career Connections material will prepare their students for their future Apprenticeship Program with the IKORCC. The new partnership with the Junior Achievement Center represents the dedication the IKORCC has to building a strong community.

In early October 2018, the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) was a Platinum Sponsor at the AIA Ohio Convention in Toledo, Ohio. AIA Ohio is part of the elite society of the American Institute of Architects. The society shares similar concentrations to the IKORCC. Both organizations are working to produce positive legislative and governmental development in licensing requirements and construction appropriations.

IKORCC’s very own, Jay Patz, Instructor from Northwest Indiana, spoke in a breakout session highlighting ICRA patient safety in facilities. Jay shared astonishing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control regarding hospital associated infections. Those statistics included information about patients who survived infection to those infections that led to death. Within the scope of those statistics, 5,000 of patients lost their lives due to a construction related hospital associated infection.  

It is IKORCC’s goal to open the line of communication for pre-planning opportunities. Jay showed that this level of communication will allow for patient safety to be the number one priority, and increase the effectiveness of the architect and workers on the jobsite.

Keynote Speaker, Coren Sharples, founding partner of SHoP Architects, wowed her audience with new unconventional ways to approach design. Her designs focus on the beautifully practical. The future holds learning opportunities for IKORCC apprentices and the Council at large. The convention was capped with many educational avenues with which the Council can engage.

Indiana Carpenters & Floorcoverers are sparking careers in skilled trades at the Junior Achievement Job Spark event in Indianapolis. Over 4,000 students visited the event where they learned about various career paths, including those in building trades.

The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters booth was full of interested students all day. Students took part in a floorcovering challenge & at the end of the day, we named the challenge winner. Groups received blueprints and 24 carpet squares, with the goal of being the fastest, most accurate group.

See all the excitement below or by clicking here.