Support OTI
Announcing the Maven Scholarship Fund
Moxie and Moss Workwear (20% off)!
Moxie and Moss Workwear is a line of apparel that is made for working women by working women. They have been field testing their signature work pant – the ‘Maven’ – with tradeswomen around the U.S. for the past year, and development is based on feedback from working women, including OTI carpenters, Mercy and Britt, pictured above. You can see more photos of them – and other tradeswomen testing out the pants – on the Moxie and Moss blog. Moxie and Moss are dedicated partners of OTI, and are proud to contribute 5% of their sales to the OTI Maven Scholarship Fund.
Moxie and Moss plans to have a whole line of workwear for women. They are launching their business with a pre-order sale, their own version of a Kickstarter, with delivery of the pants in September. By pre-ordering now, you are helping start a company that delivers on both form and function for women. The success of this pre-sale will enable them to grow their brand and product offering. Use discount code OTI20 for 20% off through the end of July at: www.moxieandmoss.com
An International Women’s Day Gift from Waterleaf Achitecture
In honor of International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2017, staff at Waterleaf Architecture set a goal of raising $1,000 within one week to support our Pathways to Success program and to show their support for our work in increasing the number of women in the construction trades in our state!
Ellen Krusi, now a Waterleaf Job Captain, wrote the following quote about her experience attending our Annual Women in Trades Career Fair as a high school student;
“When I was in high school I attended the Women in Trades Career Fair put on by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. I was inspired by the idea that one day the construction sites I would be visiting would be populated by an equal mix of men and women. Unfortunately today it is still rare to see a woman out there doing the “dirty work” on construction sites. (Cheers to those I know who are out there!) I know it’s not because women aren’t capable or willing. That’s why I’m proud to support this organization to get women the training they need to do these important jobs!”
We love that Ellen’s experience has stuck with her over the years and are so grateful to have been chosen as the recipient of this kind gesture! Check out the amazing work the folks over at Waterleaf Architecture are creating!
OTI’s Annual Meeting: February 2, 2017!
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
RESCHEDULED to Thursday, February 2, 2017
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Oregon Tradeswomen
3934 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Suite # 101
Portland, OR 97212
OTI can’t exist without the support of our membership base, our allies, and supporters. We depend on members to support OTI’s efforts, to guide the decisions of the organization, to contribute financially to the organization, to volunteer, and much more!
We hope you can join us in January to enjoy some social time, great Mexican food from La Cocina, voting on new OTI Board members, hearing about the highlights from 2016 and learning what OTI hopes to accomplish in the new year!
OTI will provide dinner and non-alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase from the restaurant bar.
Questions? Please contact Lisa Palermo, Development Director at lisa@tradeswomen.net or 503.335.8200 x 38
OTI Awarded U.S. Department of Labor Grant for Women in Apprenticeship
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Staff Members
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) is proud to announce that on June 14, 2016, we were awarded a Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) grant to continue our work connecting women with high wage, high skill trades careers through registered apprenticeship.
“Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is honored to work with our partners, Seattle-based Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Employment for Women and Oakland, California-based Tradeswomen Inc. through the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations program,’’ said Connie Ashbrook, OTI’s Executive Director. “Many women in our communities are passionately interested in working in the construction, manufacturing and utility trades, but don’t know where to get started. Our joint efforts to provide women with the education, skills, and connections they need support their access to and success in family-supporting trades careers, while at the same time helping apprenticeship programs and employers diversify their workforces.”
The $650,000 will be awarded over the course of two years. It will fund direct technical assistance work in the Portland, Seattle, and Oakland metropolitan regions, as well as outreach throughout the Western United States.
Under our prior WANTO grant, OTI was able to launch the Western Resources Center for Women in Apprenticeship website which supplements our technical assistance efforts and outreach to western apprenticeship programs.
With the support of the U.S. Department of Labor, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this work and build on our partnerships with ANEW, Tradeswomen, Inc., and registered apprenticeship stakeholders in the western region.
Thank You, Vigor, for Your Scholarship Fund Contribution
OTI extends our deepest gratitude to Vigor for their support of our work and their generous contribution to our Pathways to Success Scholarship fund.
Vigor is the leading provider of shipbuilding, complex fabrication, and ship repair and conversion in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. They have twelve locations and more than 2,500 workers who work to fabricate heavy, high complexity projects from structural bridge girders to nuclear containment devices, from dam lift gates to space launch complex towers. Vigor loves to build.
Vigor is privately owned and publicly minded. They value training, hard work, and smart thinking. Vigor is serious about safety and environmental stewardship. Vigor’s companies share a common goal: providing world-class maritime and industrial services to support our customers and strengthen the communities where we live and work.
Vigor is a sponsor of our annual Women in Trades Career Fair and they generously hosted us last year when Bank of America presented us with the 2015 Neighborhood Builder Award. OTI has great respect for Vigor’s company values: Truth, Responsibility, Evolution, and Love.
If you didn’t make it to the 2016 Annual Meeting…
We missed you! Hopefully, you can join us next year – in January, 2017!
As happens each year, Connie shared OTI’s accomplishments from 2015. The short summary version is that it was a very busy year for staff. If you want the more detailed version, well, you are going to have to wait a little longer. We are going to be releasing an annual report later this year and we don’t want to spoil all that hard work!
A critical piece of the Annual Meeting is voting in board members for their two year terms for both new and continuing board members. This year Aida Aranda and Stephanie Peters extended the terms of their board service, and Emily Wigre joined OTI’s Board of Directors!
Sometimes when we welcome someone new, we also have to say goodbye to someone else. After two terms of service, Cari Ebbert decided it was time for her to transition to a new role. She shared her passion for OTI, particularly the important role she feels the organizations plays in creating a community of tradeswomen who support each other. Cari is not a graduate of OTI’s TAC Class, but talked about volunteering for her union at the Women in Trades Career Fair every year. Once she realized that OTI coordinated the entire event, she began to volunteer with us as well! Thank you so much Cari for all of your time and dedication. We look forward to seeing you at OTI events and supporting us in new ways in the future.
We wrapped up the evening by recognizing our 2015 Outstanding volunteers and by holding a raffle. Believe it or not, Jen Netherwood was a winner again! Between hard work and good luck, we suspect she will be running the world soon. Overall, there were 61 people in attendance representing 19 different trades!
See you next year!
2015 Outstanding Volunteers
One of the highlights of my year is when I get to recognize the hard work of OTI’s volunteers. These folks often work behind the scenes and their contributions to our mission are so often missed! This year, I am excited to highlight four volunteers who have gone above and beyond to support OTI and tradeswomen.
Outstanding Board Member
Irais Gandarilla
If her face looks familiar, but you can’t quite place it, look back to your 2015 Women in Trades Career Fair materials. Irais was the face of brand new materials that feature real tradeswomen. She also represented our Board and the organization, acting a spokeswoman . The 2015 Tradeswomen Leadership Institute would not have been the same without her this year either, she served on the planning committee and, in partnership with Annie Burton, presented a workshop Social Justice: When Diversity Isn’t Enough.
Outstanding Volunteers
Bea Jenkins
As an organizer for the Operating Engineers, Bea has been involved with OTI through presentations to TACC. However, in 2015 she decided to volunteer with us and jumped in with both feet! First, she started as a member of the Tradeswomen Leadership Institute planning committee. In January of last year, I don’t think Bea knew exactly how big of a role she would play. Ultimately, she ended up being one of the storytellers for Tradeswomen Stories. She also recruited her good friend, Merilee McCall, to be the keynote speaker for the event!
Sho is on the left.
Sho Newman
This incredible woman will sneak quietly under your radar, but she is a force to be reckoned with. Last year, Sho was holding down two jobs, one being her Carpenter’s apprenticeship and then another just to fill up those free hours on the weekend. However, she didn’t let this stop her from being a Lead on our new Volunteer Outreach Team. Sho, and her team, really moved this forward helping OTI staff represent our mission at community events. She recruited folks who had never been involved with OTI and was always bringing a friend (or two!) to social hours.
Shondra Washington
If you have met Shondra, you may not believe that she just graduated from OTI last year. Out of the gate, Shondra was representing OTI, Tree Trimmers, and workers’ right at the 2015 Summer Institute for Union Women. Of course, she didn’t stop there. Shondra regularly presents for TACC. While most people shy away from fundraising efforts, she has also advocated for OTI on this front, presenting to groups about funding OTI and being featured in our 2015 Give Guide Campaign.
I hope you can join OTI staff in recognizing these amazing volunteers. If you are friends with them on Facebook, give them some love and some kudos! Send them a sweet text. Or, best of all, come out and give them a round of applause at our Annual Meeting.
Thank You to The Stimson-Miller Foundation
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) is honored to have been selected as a recent grantee of The Stimson-Miller Foundation in support of our Pathways to Success program.
This $8,000 grant will support Pathways to Success, OTI’s job training and employment program to help low-income women move out of poverty into a high-wage, skilled trades career. Pathways to Success fosters the economic self-sufficiency of low-income women by providing job training, support services, job placement and retention services for women entering high-wage trades careers. Grant funds will pay help for student support services (such as hard hats, rain gear, boots, and tools), student transportation (for field trips to apprenticeship training centers and construction job sites), and a portion of staff time of our employment services team. With support from The Stimson-Miller Foundation, OTI will inform 960 women about trades career opportunities, train 90 women in the Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class, and graduate 72 women with the skills to enter the building and construction trades careers!
The purpose of the Stimson-Miller Foundation is to carry on the charitable interests and concerns of the owners of Stimson Lumber Company, in the greater Portland area and communities throughout the United States where Stimson conducts its business and areas where Company shareholders reside or have charitable-giving interests.
Thank you again to The Stimson-Miller Foundation for their ongoing support of our work to train and educate low-income women about living-wage trades careers. Visit The Stimson-Miller Foundation website to learn more about their work.
Business Membership Spotlight: Walsh Construction Co.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. welcomes the support of the business community to help us fulfill our mission to engage more women in the trades.
Walsh Construction Co. is one of our partners in this program and we thank them for their contribution to OTI.
“It started in 1961 when two young brothers, Tom and Bob Walsh, who had an idea for a business, created Walsh Construction. They were college students with limited funds, so the shoe box served as their filing cabinet and the Chevy van as their transportation.
Over the years, they made smart decisions, seized opportunities, developed innovative approaches, and asked people who shared their passion for building the Northwest to come along with them as they grew into something extraordinary.
Those characteristics endure to this day. At WALSH, we’re always focused on building Smart, building Green and building Community. Just as importantly, we’re focused on the people who join us for the ride.”
OTI thanks the staff of Walsh Construction Co. for their support of our programming as a business membership program participant!
If you want to learn more about our business membership program, please send an email to dennise@tradeswomen.net for details on how you can be involved.
2015 Willamette Week Give!Guide
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is honored to be part of the 2015 Willamette Give!Guide! The end of year campaign runs November 4th through midnight December 31st.
We are thrilled to have THREE business partners who are matching donations up to $7,500! Thanks so much to Atomic Direct, Enhabit (formerly Clean Energy Works) and Madden Industrial for making this generous pledge of support to help us double the impact of your donation to OTI.
Our business partners have also generously donated cool gifts as special thank you incentives for donors on select days: Cup Cozies, towels, a home energy audit, and court side seats to a Blazer game! These are all in addition to the coupons you receive with a minimum donation as well as the amazing incentives you’re eligible to win when you give a gift on the six Big Give Days! Visit the donate page for a more information about the campaign.
How can you participate?
- Donate! You can donate as little as $10 and it helps out OTI. We have three business partners matching up to $7,500 this year! Here is the link: https://giveguide.org/#oregontradeswomeninc
- Share on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn: Make a post on your social media and encourage your circle of friends to donate. You can also share OTI’s posts on Facebook, retweet on Twitter, and we have an Instagram account (@oregontradeswomen).
- Send an email to friends and family! Example: “I am a big fan and supporter of Oregon Tradeswomen. The non-profit does a lot of great work for tradeswomen and it is one of the organizations in this year’s Willamette Week Give Guide. The Willamette Week Give Guide picks non-profits to spotlight in a special publication in order to build awareness and financial support during the end of the year. OTI has three business partners matching up to $7,500 this year so every donation – whether it is $10 or $100 – is matched until OTI reaches $7,500. That means, $7,500 donated by folks like us becomes $15,000 because of the match. It is really easy, too. Just click on the link below and make your secure donation and tell all your friends, too! Thank you!!!”Here is the link to donate:
https://giveguide.org/#oregontradeswomeninc
If you are currently a supporter of Oregon Tradeswomen, thank you so much! If you are able, please help us meet and exceed the matching funds from our incredible business partners and empower OTI to educate, train, and place even more women into satisfying, living-wage careers in the construction trades.
Thank you!