Support OTI
Thank You to Danner Boots!
If you don’t know Danner, they are a Portland based company that has been manufacturing work boots for 85 years! They began as a small group of 12 people in the logging town of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, hand-making affordable work boots for the loggers. As logging in the Pacific Northwest kept growing, Danner moved to Portland to meet the demand. Danner manufactured boots for the US military during World War II and in the 1960s and 1970s, they started a new line of boots and shoes for the growing interest in outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, and mountain-climbing. Danner even developed and patented a waterproof boot using GORE-TEX ® fabric! Danner has always strived to be ahead of the game and we are so grateful that we have the privilege to partner with such an incredible local company.
Recently, we reached out to them with a request for specific boots which would allow our pre-apprenticeship students to participate in a new welding training offering, Danner stepped up like champs! Danner immediately provided a full size run of their wonderful Quarry USA boots. Our students were beyond thrilled when they received a fresh new pairs of boots, both stylish and industry appropriate.
In addition to the generous boots for our pre-apprenticeship students, Danner gave us “Friends and Family passes” to their stores which equates to a generous 40% discount! It warms our hearts when local businesses and members of our community want to pay it forward. It shows us that they value the work that we do and support these incredible women who are taking bold steps to change their own lives.
We’re excited to announce that the first 15 people who sign up as a member of Oregon Tradeswomen in the month of November will receive a “Friends and Family pass” to do their own shopping with Danner.
Thank you, Danner! We are grateful for your continued partnership and your great generosity.
Building on a Mission
Oregon Tradeswomen was founded on principles that women should have access to training, education, and career pathways in blue-collar industries as a means to economic self-sufficiency. Beginning in the 1970s, women began to organize nationally to impact federal public policy, as well as at the local level to bring about much needed changes for women working in the skilled trades and other “nontraditional” jobs. Here in Portland, a small support group was founded in 1989, led by four tradeswomen, (an elevator constructor, two carpenters and an operating engineer), later forming Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., in 1999. That elevator constructor was Connie Ashbrook, founding Executive Director, who built the organization from its early foundation to where it stands today – an integral nonprofit partner working to ensure access, opportunity, and equity for women across our community and the country as a whole.
After dedicating her life’s work to the organization and to the tradeswomen movement, Connie Ashbrook retired this summer, building a foundation and legacy of which she can be extremely proud. All of us at Oregon Tradeswomen are honored and grateful that Connie has graciously committed to continue to contribute her time, talent, and expertise as Executive Director Emeritus, contributing to special projects for Oregon Tradeswomen as we move our work and vision forward.
As the new Executive Director, I am excited to be a part of Oregon Tradeswomen, and the tremendous community of which we are a member. As Connie “passed the torch” to me just a few short weeks ago, I have reflected on the privilege that comes with being engaged in work you love, for which you have a passion, and for being able to help make the world a better place. I recognize the big shoes I must try to fill in carrying this important work forward. While I don’t know everything, I do know that this community has shown dedicated support of the great work of Oregon Tradeswomen and that the work of our mission cannot be done alone.
In that, we invite you to continue to build with us, as we set a bold vision for our future. In the coming year we look forward to expanding our programming across Oregon to reach more women – especially those in rural communities. Deepening our commitment and our reach into our communities of color as we adopt and implement a racial justice plan. Forging new relationships with industry stakeholders in manufacturing, transportation, and other nontraditional occupations and industries to increase opportunities for women. Increasing our capacity to provide technical assistance to support our partners in achieving diversity, inclusion, and equity. Responding to the new challenges and opportunities in our community through engaged and intentional collaboration. Building a shared wealth creation model so all the members of our community may prosper. Please join us as we move forward with a bold vision for change. I look forward to doing good work together.
In solidarity,
Kelly
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.