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Louisville Carpenters Help Homeless Vets

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The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) Membership Action Committee of Carpenters Local 175 Louisville, KY hung drywall in a home slated to be donated to a homeless Louisville veteran. This is one of three homes Kentucky Carpenters have helped renovate to help homeless veterans.

The project is a part of Operation Victory, affiliated with the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. IKORCC contractors and suppliers graciously donated the drywall, screws, mud, tape, misc supplies, and even the finishing to make the project a success. Over a dozen members and their families came out to volunteer their time, knowledge and tools to help give this veteran a safe place and a fresh start.

“Our local has a lot of veterans and Helmets to Hardhats members. They put their lives on the line to protect us while serving, they should have a place to sleep when they get back home. It’s why our local is a proud partner in remodeling this home,” says Local 175 member and IKORCC business representative Noah Grimes.

Operation Victory is a coalition of Greater Louisville Area Unions, Non-Profit/Community Organizations, and Local Area Businesses joined together to rehabilitate vacant and abandoned homes for a Homeless Louisville Veteran. Veteran homelessness is an issue that is important to the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters because veterans put their lives on the line to protect us, and we believe they should have a home to come back to. The Operation Victory coalition plans to help at least four more homeless veterans this year with some help from area businesses and the IKORCC.

Special thanks to all who helped the veteran get back on his feet, including: Tony Dobson, Shea Dobson, Ron Gibson, Andrew Kayla Faulkner, Robert Johnson, Kelly Davis, Gleen Koenig, Stephen Sites, Ben Ganote, Ben’s son Angelo Moore, Mike Blevins, Thomas Hacker, Quality Interiors, L&W Supply Louisville, and Intex Systems.

Local 357 Builds Home for Paducah Neighbor

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Volunteers Form Carpenters Local 357 are leading the way in volunteering to help build a Habitat for Humanity home for Paducah resident Tineka Bard Zarlunga. 

Retired member Bobby Miller is serving as construction superintendent over the project and is tasked with coordination of daily work on the house, as well as using it as a teaching opportunity to show local trade school students how a house is planned and built from beginning to completion.

Several members of Local 357 have volunteered to see this project progress and will continue to volunteer their skills and time to ensure that it is completed. 

Special thanks to members Brad Downs, Tom Blevins, Chad Helm, Jacob Barrett, Bobby Miller, Todd Miller, Matt Hall, Ricky Freeman, Richard Blevins, Ronnie Cavanagh, and Jacob Rambeau for their help in building their communities.

 

Carpenters Bring Smiles to Louisville Ronald McDonald House

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Brenna & Jacob – they’re just two of the reasons Louisville carpenters volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House of Louisville 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 Louisville event is one of many “Carpenters Caring for Kids” events at area Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio Ronald McDonald Houses. It’s just one of the ways our carpenters, millwrights and floorcoverers are building their communities. 

With the help of volunteers, kids at the Ronald McDonald house put together and colored toolboxes where they can store toys, trinkets, and hope – a crucial tool in battling whatever ails them. For many of these families, events like this are some of the only cheerful moments they get to share with each other.

The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to partner with the Ronald McDonald House to build toolboxes and memories. 

Ashland Members Lend a Hand

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Last week, Ashland members were busy giving back their time and talent to the community. Members built a set of stairs and a handicap ramp for the Ashland Alliance Annual Reception. 

The money for the project was donated by Carpenters locals 437, 472, and Millwright locals 1076 and 1090.

A special recognition goes out to Apprenticeship Instructor, Clinton Young and all the Journeyman and Apprentice volunteers who worked on this project. Thank you to Local 472 for allowing volunteers to use your facilities.

Members who worked on this project are from locals 437, 472,1076, 1090 and 1650.

IKORCC Brings Trades to Junior Achievement of KY

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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.

 

Apprentices Help Kentucky Students with Careers

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Over 3,000 high school students visited our booth at the Kentucky Construction Career Days (K4C) in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Many of the students are high school seniors interested in a career in the trades.

IKORCC apprentices & instructors were on-site to share all the great opportunities available in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

See the highlights below or by clicking here

Construction Career Day at Murray State University

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The lack of a student loan debt after graduating and the ability to earn while you learn has become increasingly attractive to graduating students. The IKORCC is using this opportunity to provide students with a wealth of knowledge on how to start their career in the trades with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Last week, approximately 1,600 students from Western Kentucky attended the seventh annual Construction Career Day at Murray State University Cherry Expo Center. The students were able to experience interactive displays such as welding and masonry work. The variety of hands-on activities represented multiple career paths.

The IKORCC was r​epresented by Will Stewart, Business Representative based out of Local 357, and Sidney Nelson, Instructor based out of the Newburgh training facility. The students received instruction on the use of HILTI battery-operated screw-guns as well as information on the apprenticeship and the benefits of a career with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

IKORCC Sponsors Kentucky Derby Festival

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Last week Union Carpenters kicked off the Kentucky Derby Festival with a bang at Thunder Over Louisville, a day-long air show and firework display at nightfall over the Ohio River.

The event brought Kentucky carpenters together to educate visitors on becoming a Union Carpenter and the future opportunities in the field. Thunder Over Louisville brought thousands of spectators to the Kentucky and Indiana shorelines.

Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters EST Mark McGriff was proud to help cut the ribbon, kicking off the annual Derby Festival. The IKORCC sponsored The Grove for the week of festivities. The Grove has been a gathering spot for visitors of the Derby Festival. The space is lined with picnic tables made by Apprentices from Carpenters Local 175. It was a volunteer opportunity and their time was greatly appreciated!

Dan Sustin, Training Coordinator in Richfield, Ohio made IKORCC metal plaques for each of the picnic tables. The tables were a great addition to the space this year and we hope to see them in the many years to come!

In 1956 the festival started with one small event on the river, today the schedule is packed with nightly events and multiple local vendors. We were thrilled to be able to support the event and look forward to many other community events in the coming year.

Honoring Vets at KY Derby Festival

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Saturday volunteers with the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters spent the day honoring our nation’s bravest at the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville. The festival gave free admission to vets and their families for their annual Military Appreciation Day & Tyler Farr county concert.

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Volunteers from the IKORCC spent the day educating people about our Helmets to Hardhats program, which helps vets get a job after returning home, often within six weeks. Helmets to Hardhats helps military service members successfully transition back into civilian life by offering them the means to secure a quality career in the construction industry. Our federally-approved apprenticeship program allows vets to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits to supplement their income.

Based on vet’s military occupation code, we can help leverage training and work-related experience during their time in the service for possible advanced placement in our apprenticeship program. With an honorable discharge, veterans can be working on a job site as soon as six weeks!

One of our carpenters and his wife, who volunteered at the event, were thrilled to meet country star Tyler Farr just before his concert Saturday!

We’d like to thank all the brave men and women that serve our nation’s military. We’d also like to thank the many volunteers who spent the weekend helping our community.

Click here to learn more about our Helmets to Hardhats program.

Kentucky Carpenters Keep the Peace at Grayson Cemetery

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Funerals are supposed to be a time for reflection and finding peace, however, in The Northeast Kentucky Veteran’s Cemetery pigeons were making that difficult for veteran’s families.

During funeral services, pigeons would fly in the cupola and make a lot of noise, an unwelcome occurrence during services. When their efforts didn’t work, cemetery staff turned to our carpenters for a speedy solution. Carpenters from Local 472 donated materials and worked with apprentices from Local 1650 to construct a frame to enclose the cupola and keep the pigeons away. The solution worked and the cemetery staff is now back to the business of honoring our nation’s vets. Great work Local 472 and 1650!

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