Tag Archive for: Community

IKORCC Member Saves Police Officer’s Life

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IKORCC and Local 599 member Patrick Baum risked his life today to save a police officer and helped apprehend a person wanted for multiple attempted child abductions in Hammond. The Hammond Police Department held a special ceremony and presented Patrick with a bravery award for his heroic actions.

Officers say Patrick risked his personal safety to assist an officer in need while he was trying to secure a dangerous individual believed to be involved in multiple child abductions. Patrick’s actions that day helped to avoid a potential tragedy. The suspect who was arrested and charged with 5 criminal counts including Attempted Criminal Confinement and Resisting Law Enforcement is in custody.

A statement from The Hammond, Indiana Police Department stated:
On June 1 at approximately 2:30 pm, Hammond Police responded to the 2900 block of 165th street in reference to an attempted child abduction. A 15-year-old female reported that she was grabbed by a black male in a vehicle. The female stated that she was able to quickly pull away from the male and ran. Witnesses on scene gave police a detailed description of the vehicle he was driving and the license plate. A few minutes later, a 10-year-old female reported that a male matching the same description tried to lure her into his vehicle in the 6400 block of New Hampshire.

Hammond Police Officer Daniel Sangkaratana was actively patrolling the area in search of the suspect when he located the vehicle with matching license plates from Illinois. Officer Sangkaratana advised that he located the suspect inside his vehicle. Officer Sangkaratana performed a traffic stop of the vehicle and the suspect immediately exited his vehicle and began to walk around with a blank stare. Officer Sangkaratana gave the suspect orders that were ignored. The suspect went back into his vehicle and began to reach under the driver’s seat of the vehicle.

Fearing that the suspect was reaching for a weapon, Officer Sangkaratana ran up the suspect and grabbed his arm attempting to stop the suspect from grabbing a weapon. The suspect spun around and began to fight with the officer. The suspect began to grab Officer Sangkaratana’s vest and gun belt. The suspect pushed the officer into the street and continued to struggle.

At this time, a local Hammond resident, Patrick Baum, was driving by and observed what was happening. He stopped his vehicle and exited. Mr. Baum ran up to the suspect fighting with Officer Sangkaratana and tackled him to the ground. Mr. Baum assisted Officer Sangkaratana in holding the suspect on the ground until fellow officers arrived and the officers were able to secure the suspect in the police vehicle.

Mr. Baum was presented with an award for bravery today. The Hammond Police Department would like to thank Mr. Patrick Baum for his selfless and brave actions that afternoon. He risked his personal safety to assist an officer in need while he was trying to secure a dangerous individual believed to be involved in multiple child abductions. Mr. Baum’s actions that day helped to avoid a potential tragedy. The suspect who was arrested and charged with 5 criminal counts including Attempted Criminal Confinement and Resisting Law Enforcement is in custody.

Carpenters Help Indiana Organization Save Lives

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44 – that’s the number of lives Indiana Youth Services’ Making Good Decisions initiative has helped save since its inception. It’s an organization that’s making a difference to so many young people, which is why the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters was happy to sponsor their “The Blind Pig Speakeasy” fundraiser this week.

“The carpenters have always believed in helping our members better their lives, in this regard our missions are very much aligned. This organization is helping save lives, it’s a great cause for us to support,” says Tim Thieme of the IKORCC.

Their mission is simple, Making Good Decisions helps educate young people about the dangers of underage drinking to help prevent alcohol-related deaths. The organization led the charge to pass Indiana’s Lifeline Law, which gives immunity from certain alcohol-related offenses to minors who call to report a medical emergency or crime.

It’s a cause that is deeply personal to the organization’s founders Norm and Dawn Finbloom. Their son Brett passed out after a night of heavy drinking at a friend’s house. When his heart stopped beating and friends realized he was in real trouble, they didn’t call paramedics immediately for fear of getting in trouble. Unfortunately, that choice and delay in getting help led to Brett’s death.

Vowing to save other families from a similar tragedy, The Finbloom’s worked hard to pass the Lifeline Law and say, “Now Brett is everyone’s lifeline.”

Making Good Decisions has recently partnered with Indiana’s Text-to-911 services to increase public awareness about the ability to TEXT-to-911 in an emergency. The purpose is to encourage young people to contact 911 for help when they find themselves or a friend in an emergency.

Learn more about the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters or our community projects.

Carpenters Help Little Wish Foundation Grant a Wish

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For Derek Dodd helping the Little Wish Foundation grant a wish isn’t just about giving back – it’s personal. Derek’s wife is a childhood cancer survivor and although he wasn’t in her life at the time, he knows the toll cancer takes on a family.

That’s why Derek and 13 other members of Carpenter’s Local 1016 spent the day in Muncie building a swing set for a two-year-old boy with cancer. The swing set included a slide, clubhouse, rock climbing wall, and a sandbox.

“You and your guys really made a difference to our family, and I cannot thank you enough,” the boy’s grandmother said.

Derek said seeing the family so happy meant a lot to the group. “Anytime we can help a family in need like this for this good cause – I’m all on board,” he said.

Great work Local 1016! 

 

Carpenters Help Portsmouth Family Build Future

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Carpenters not only helped build a home in Portsmouth last weekend, they also helped a family build a solid foundation for their future. 

Nearly a dozen members of Carpenter’s Local 437 helped Scioto County Habitat for Humanity build a home for a family in Ohio. Carpenters set the trusses and completed the roof in only five hours!

“When God blesses you with a skill, it’s always good to bless back,” says member Mike Slack Sr., who ventured out of retirement to lend a hand to his local.

Member and Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Business Agent Trampas Puckett said, “Carpenters are all about building our communities, this was a perfect way to help a deserving family build their future.”

The Scioto County Habitat for Humanity thanked the carpenters. “A very special thank you to the local Carpenters Union #437 for putting in a long, hot day helping us.”

Habitat for Humanity Nail It Competition of Southeast Ohio

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Last month, IKORCC members created a team to participate in the 3rd Annual Habitat for Humanity Nail It Competition of Southeast Ohio. The Nail It Competition is a nail-biting race to see what team can drive nails the fastest. Each team member must drive two nails into a piece of wood relay style. Our fast and hardworking IKORCC team finished first place with a time of 23 seconds!

Local 356 in Marietta, Ohio was represented by Brent Hensley (Journeyman) and Tyler Welch (Apprentice). Local 650 in Pomeroy, Ohio was represented by Kill Wells (Journeyman) and Luke Fackler (Apprentice). The team was funded by donations of their locals, collecting a total of $1,000! The event raised a total of $7,000 dollars between all 25 teams. The money collected from the teams goes to support Habitat for Athens County and the work they do in the community.

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.

Carpenters Support Down Syndrome Awareness Event

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Dan Sivertson, member of Millwrights & Pile Drivers 1090, and his family have a special reason they celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. He and his wife found out their daughter would be born with Down Syndrome 13 years ago. The two quickly made a connection with the local organization, The Up Side of Downs. The organization helped by providing them with support in learning about Down Syndrome and with books to guide them through the diagnosis.

The Up Side of Downs truly made an impact in their lives and they are forever grateful for the support. Their daughter Eve is now 13 years old thriving in the 7th grade. Eve is just like any other teenage girl and loves the time she spends with her friends!

In celebration of World Down Syndrome Day, the IKORCC would like to shine a light on an organization we take pride in supporting. The IKORCC was fortunate to be a Presenting Sponsor for The Up Side of Downs Gala/Raffle event on Saturday, March 10th for the fifth year in a row.

Between Carpenters Locals 373, 435 and Millwrights and Pile Drivers Local 1090 we have donated over $50,000 to the organization to help raise awareness and advocate for people with Down Syndrome. Over 570 people attended the Up Side of Downs Gala, 120 of them were IKORCC members.

“I can’t thank my fellow Brothers and Sisters of these Locals for their generous support and donations,” Dan Sivertson says.

If you interested in supporting the cause, there is a Buddy Walk on August 25th. Last year there were over 5,000 plus attendees at the event. Dan Sivertson in a leader of the beli-EVE N US Team and typically has around 75-100 family and friends walk together for the cause.

Walker Career Center’s Future Tradesmen

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The Warren Central Walker Career Center is advancing their students to successfully become tradesmen in the near future. Council staff Jeff Gielerak and Steve Hoyt are graduates of the Warren Central program and were happy to share about the opportunities available at the IKORCC and contribute $250 to new tools for their program. The Senior students were excited about their future and had several questions regarding our union. While visiting, Steve and Jeff were able to explore a home the students are currently working on.

“It’s great to see the students working hard on their project the day before Spring Break!” Steve says, adding, “That’s what we need out on our job sites.” The students will be working tirelessly on completing the project for the first open house this coming May.

In the Junior class, several students said they plan to take the class next school year and are very excited about the learning opportunities. Steve says he hopes the contribution from the Carpenters Union will help towards new tools for their program. The IKORCC is committed to building strong futures for our community. In doing so we provide wages to support families, benefits, and training to be the most skilled worker on the job site. We are excited for the students to come visit the Greenwood training facility at the open house on April 11th.  

Akron Carpenters Donate Fire Alarms to Save Lives

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Sound the alarm – members from Local 285 are doing their part to save lives in Akron, Ohio. In the past five years, every fatal house fire in Akron occurred in a home without a functioning fire alarm. To combat this problem members from Local 285, with support from the IKORCC, donated 70 smoke detectors to the Akron Fire Department for residents with financial limitations. This represents the first of what will now be an annual effort on the part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America to provide smoke detectors to those in need.