Uncategorized
OTI Grows with help from Advantis Credit Union
In July, Oregon Tradeswomen was invited to participate as a semi-finalist in the GROW: The Advantis Community Fund social media contest and as a result, was awarded a $5,000 grant!
The fund is a $50,000 grant designed to provide nonprofit and service organizations with financial resources to address a wide range of needs and tackle challenges in the community, one project at a time. Oregon Tradeswomen, and six additional non-profits, received a portion of the grant. OTI received $5,000 to provide low-income women with “Ready to Work” safety gear, including measuring tapes, hard hats, safety glasses, rain gear, gloves, tool belts, and bus passes. This will prepare our pre-apprenticeship students for employment in high-wage construction trades careers as well as transportation assistance for access to job interviews and job sites.
Congratulations to the other recipients on their awards: Children’s Book Bank, Raphael House, SnowCap Community Charities, Store to Door, and Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon.
A big thanks to Advantis for inviting OTI to participate in a fun campaign and awarding OTI with this generous grant!
Scholarship Fund Supporter: Metro
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. thanks Metro Regional Government for its support as a Pathways to Success scholarship fund contributor!
The scholarship fund program supports the impactful work of our Pathways to Success program, namely, our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC).
The TAC class program offers a focus on apprenticeship through a 7-week, state-certified, pre-apprenticeship training class that helps women prepare for a high skill, high wage career in the blue-collar professions in construction, manufacturing and the utility trades. Class sessions occur four times a year.
TACC covers key elements that lead to a successful outcome for students as well as teaching the grit, perseverance, and timeliness skills that also contribute to professional readiness: basic math and measurement, job safety in addition to construction culture, using hand and power tools, and physical fitness training. All of this is included with the 30 hours of hands-on training experience working with professional tradeswomen.
Thanks again to Metro for its generous contribution. If you would like to learn more about the scholarship fund, please see our Pathways to Success Scholarship Fund page for all the details or send an email inquiry to Dennise (at) tradeswomen.net.
Help Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. GROW!
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. has been selected as a semi-finalist for a grant from Advantis Credit Union, and we need your help!
Advantis has established GROW to provide nonprofits with funding for local projects that help strengthen our communities. Several grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded.
OTI is in the running to receive support for tools, work gear, and other items for a future Trades & Apprenticeship Career Class.
TAC Student – Cindy – hones her skill on a chopsaw
Can you please help us supply these “Ready to Work” needs for our students by voting for OTI on the Advantis Credit Union website? You can also help by asking family and friends to join in on the daily vote! Voting ends on July 17th at 5pm, and you can vote once per day.
Amanda, Hoffman Construction laborer and her daughter at OTI’s 2015 career fair
Thank you for your help, and thank you Advantis Credit Union for choosing OTI as a semi-finalist for the GROW award!
Multnomah Bar Foundation Awards Grant to OTI
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) received a $4,000 grant from the Multnomah Bar Foundation to support components of OTI’s TOOLS program (Tradeswomen Organized for Outreach, Leadership & Support) – a program aspiring to advance tradeswomen’s understanding of civic responsibility, to improve tradeswomen’s understanding of the legislative process, and build their leadership capacity overall. OTI’s TOOLS program provides voter registration, voter education, civic engagement, and advocacy and legislative work, so that tradeswomen are included in the civic and legislative process on issues that affect working class tradeswomen.
Today, OTI’s current class of pre-apprenticeship students are participating in OTI’s annual Construction Equity Day event where students visit the State Capitol Building to meet with legislators, observe the legislative session, and learn more about how new laws are enacted in our state.
“We are immensely thankful to Multnomah Bar Foundation for their investment in our work with tradeswomen,” said Tiffany Thompson, Advocacy Program Manager for OTI. “These funds will help educate tradeswomen about the direct impact civic engagement can have on OTI’s work and on the Construction Industry at large. We will also be able to instill a more relevant understanding of the role of the legislative process, and help tradeswomen feel competent and knowledgeable enough to be meaningfully engaged in government, law, leadership, and elections,” Thompson added.
Founded in 2005, the Multnomah Bar Foundation (MBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The MBF has established two dedicated funds: the Civic Education Fund (formerly the MBA 100th Anniversary Community Gift Fund) and Multnomah CourtCare. For more information about the MBF visit their website.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. thanks the Multnomah Bar Foundation for its generous support of our programming!
Tradeswomen Stories – September 25, 2015
The 2015 Tradeswomen’s Stories event is a unique opportunity to engage with both the trades industry and the art community. OTI is offering limited sponsorship participation to businesses seeking a unique community engagement opportunity.
This year’s Tradeswomen Leadership Institute will kick off with a compelling segement called Tradeswomen Stories: Whatever you do…don’t do that! Five tradeswomen will be immersed in the art of storytelling – sharing their true stories live and on stage – at one of Portland’s finest performance venues, Disjecta. This event will build community and create a powerful tool for tradeswomen to share their experiences.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is partnering with Back Fence PDX for this exciting event featuring local tradeswomen. Their stories are often invisible in discussions about construction. These women face incredible adversity and break significant barriers to get and retain jobs that have largely only been accessible to white men for generations. During the past year, apprenticeship, trades, and manufacturing have taken a prominent place in national conversation about workforce, economy, and employment.
TRADESWOMEN’S STORIES: Whatever you do…don’t do that!
Friday September 25, 2015
Doors at 6:30 pm
Show at 7:00 pm
18+ Only
Tickets available to purchase online.
Disjecta
8371 N Interstate Ave
Portland, OR 97217
Tradeswomen Leadership Institute 2014
State of Black Oregon 2015
Today, the Urban League of Portland released its report, State of Black Oregon 2015. The press and community launch took place on the Portland Community College Cascade Campus.
The report is the result of a two-year program of research that provides an updated look at how Black Oregonians are doing – in schools, jobs, and both urban and rural communities throughout the state. The first State of Black Oregon report was released six years ago.
At today’s launch event, new president and CEO of Urban League Portland, Nkenge Harmon Johnson spoke about the importance of not only supporting the work of the organization’s policy actions addressed in the 194-page book, but to also ‘look around the table and make sure the community is truly represented’.
Guest speakers included, Mayor Charlie Hales, Senator Avel Louise Gordly and Lisa K. Bates (Portland State University). Mayor Hales announced in his presentation that he has included in his budget a $2 million dollar line item to cover free recreation activities for kids at several community centers in Portland.
Michael Alexander, the outgoing president and CEO of Urban League of Portland, offered closing remarks and also stressed the level of urgency needed in changing the clear disparity in healthcare, education, employment opportunities and other quality of life issues for Black Oregonians.
State of Black Oregon Report 2015 is available to view through Urban League of Portland’s web site.
The Jim & Dianna Murphy Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is pleased to announce a recent grant award from the Jim & Dianna Murphy Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation.
The $10,000 award is for programs that encourage girls and women to explore careers in transportation and trucking. The Jim & Dianna Murphy Fund makes charitable donations for the creation of or support of opportunities and programs that introduce individuals to vocational careers, with a preference for those related to the commercial trucking industry. Programs that focus on high school students, people who are being retrained for new careers and veterans are preferred.
The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. It works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to create charitable funds — more than 1,700 of them — that support the community causes they care about. These funds support the critical work that nonprofits are doing across Oregon. Through these funds, OCF annually awards more than $60 million in grants and scholarships.
Partner Spotlight: R & H Construction
OTI works with many wonderful employers in the area and periodically, we will be shining the spotlight on one of them!
This month, we are featuring R & H Construction. The company has been building successful commercial construction projects throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1979. Locally owned and operated, R&H specializes in adding value to complex, quality driven and time sensitive jobs. With a diverse portfolio ranging from small remodels to large-scale corporate headquarters, R&H takes an individualized approach to each job, while upholding our company-wide commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience.
OTI has worked with one of their employees, Dennis Cleaver. He has been very supportive in talking with our Pathways participants about careers in construction and very generous in allowing us to conduct field trips to various sites. Thank you, Dennis!
Here are a couple of photos taken at a recent field trip:
We also offer the company congratulations on their recent award of the 2014 ROSE Awards presented by the AGC Oregon Columbia Chapter!
Coming this May: Annual Women Building the Nation Conference in Los Angeles!
The national tradeswomen’s conference, Women Building the Nation, is set to take place in Los Angeles, California, May 1-3! With an expected attendance of over 1,000 tradeswomen, union leaders, apprenticeship coordinators, contractors, and politicians, the fifth annual Women Building the Nation conference will be the most exciting and productive conference yet!
In addition to networking with other tradeswomen from around the country, conference goers will build new skills, engage in leadership development and learn more about organizing through more than 40 different workshops and plenary sessions. Workshop tracks include: Pre-apprentices; Staying In and Staying Strong; Promoting Leadership; Policy & Politics; Career Ladders; and Nourishing Extras.
A special Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute will be held on May 1 for coordinators and staffers of pre-apprenticeship programs. Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is proud to serve on the National Task Force on Tradeswomen’s Issues, which is planning the conference’s closing event, a policy forum designed to inspire tradeswomen to work together to lift our sisters around the country and elevate tradeswomen’s issues to the national stage.
Please join us in turning out the largest ever Oregon delegation to the Women Building the Nation conference! Last year we had 42 conference attendees from Oregon, representing 16 different locals. Help us beat last year’s attendance and represent Oregon, your trade, and your local this year in Los Angeles!
In general, it will cost about $600 – $1000 for one person to attend the conference.
- Registration fees are $100/person
o $75 reduced early bird fee if you register by Friday, February 20
o Additional $15 discount for members of BCTD-affiliated unions
o Registration includes two continental breakfasts, two lunches, and a reception - Hotel Rate is $129/night, reservations can be made at the Sheraton Gateway LAX
- Flights running $210 – 400 as of January 27 according to kayak.com
Join with other conference goers, like 2014 attendee Maddie Ettlin, in experiencing the power of tradeswomen in community.
“The 2014 Women Build California and the Nation Conference began before it even officially started. Flying from Portland to Sacramento, there were already five or six different trades represented by delegations of women proud of their union membership. Tradeswomen tend to stand out in a crowd, and we’re eager to find each other. We were everywhere! In restaurants, in cabs, all over the airport, walking to and from hotels and preparing our business. As a member of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc, I feel like I have a strong community of tradeswomen around me, and our numbers are nothing to sniff at. But I had only been around a large group of tradeswomen a handful of times, and it was nothing compared to stepping foot into the convention center at the opening plenary. Our sheer numbers will forever impress upon me that I am not alone, no matter how it may feel from job to job.“
Now that you want to go, the question is how? Well, luckily for you we can help you with your quest. OTI can provide guidance about making motions to the floor at your union meeting, how to write letters requesting support, a sample letter, and some talking points about the conference! That’s right, we have tried to make it as easy as possible to incorporate between all of your hard work. Would you still like some more support? Contact Tiffany and she would be more than happy to explore how OTI can support you.
How to write a letter requesting union support
Women Building California and the Nation conference talking points
We want to see you at Women Building the Nation this year! Let’s turn it out for tradeswomen in Oregon and across the country.
A Banner Year
Thanks to everyone who donated to our Give!Guide campaign! We raised $14,007.00 in individual gifts and $5,000 was donated by our delightful partners, Atomic Direct and Clean Energy Works Oregon for a grand total of $19,007.00 – thank you!
We also received tremendous support from various private foundations and government entities this past year. In the last couple weeks of the year, we received several generous donations including these:
- OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation in the amount of $4,250.00 for training in construction.
- Penney Family Fund, a member of the Common Counsel Foundation, in the amount of $5,000.00 for general programs.
We thank both foundations for their generous support of our work at Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
You can also help us continue our work in helping women reach new levels of professional success and satisfaction by supporting our programs. Your financial contribution helps women learn about work in the trades and girls experience trades, most likely, for the very first time. Make your tax-deductible donation today by clicking here to change a life in a really positive way!
Our annual career fair is coming up May 14 – May 16 and we need the support of our business community to teach girls about opportunities in the trades. We are seeking corporate sponsors for our three day event. Learn more by clicking here to become part of the “100%” – the percentage of industry support we rely on to make this fabulous event a reality.
Happy New Year!
Dennise M. Kowalczyk – Development Director
Dennise@tradeswomen.net
503.335.8200 ext. 38