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Community Values in Youngstown

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Although the local JATC was unable to hold their annual open house, the Youngstown-Steubenville Hub still found a way to introduce high school students to the opportunities within the IKORCC apprenticeship program.

The Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo hosted their second skilled trades event aimed at promoting union trades to seventh through twelfth-grade students.  Unfortunately, the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic but returned with new ways to promote careers in the trades.  The Hub partnered with local contractors like AP O’Horo, the Western Reserve Building Trades, and the area school’s Educational Service centers to host the two-day event.  The event launched with a public open house to recruit and educate members from the community outside of just schools. Students from three Ohio and two Western Pennsylvania counties were given a chance to experience hands-on activities at each of the craft’s stations. Splitting this year’s event into two days gave the over 4,500 students more time to visit with each craft.

 

The Youngstown-Steubenville Hub has also partnered with the United Way to build several wheelchair ramps and assist the team in bagging groceries for more than 350 families unable to reach a food pantry in person.  IKORCC members along with community members spent about three to four hours bagging groceries for United Way’s Satur-Day of Caring. The groceries were loaded into volunteers’ cars to be delivered to elderly members of the community.

 

 

Member Builds Park to Honor Son

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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.