By Bryan Carroll
Over the past three months, IBEW 1245 units have helped the following organizations with donations from the union’s Community Fund.
Unit 1122, Merced, voted unanimously on Feb. 12 to request $500 from the IBEW 1245 Community Fund for the 2014 Merced Fishing Derby.
Unit 1126, TID, in January voted unanimously on Aaron Baker’s proposal to donate $500 from the IBEW Community Fund to the Denair Gaslight Theatre. The money will help with the running of the Poker tournament fundraiser. This event will help keep this historical building hosting local performing arts and dance events all year long. An IBEW 1245 banner will be there too!
Unit 1511, San Jose, has voted to support separate causes with two donations of $250 each. The Girls Scouts of Northern California and the American Diabetes Association will each benefit from this generous donation. The money has gone to support Team Believe at the Guadalupe Park walkathon with 4,000 other participants also supporting the American Diabetes Association. The Girl Scouts donation will aid underprivileged girls participate in local Girl Scout events.
Unit 3217, Redding, for the 2nd year in a row has voted to support the Happy Valley Little League. This $350 donation will pay to have a scrappy bunch of Tee-ballers sport “IBEW 1245” on the backs of their jerseys and the IBEW 1245 sign at the park will be getting a fresh coat of paint!
Unit 3218, Shasta-USBR, smelled spring in the air even in February. That was the month they voted to donate $350 to sponsor a team in the Foothill Area Little League. This sponsorship will pay for IBEW 1245 on tee shirts as well as on a field banner. The field banner will remind the community of IBEW 1245 members all year!
Unit 3417, Chico, takes safety as one of the few things more important than local Little League baseball. They found a way to support both of those things when a desperate request came from the Lake Oroville Little League. The league needed money to replace a dangerously dilapidated electrical panel. The Unit voted to request a $500 donation. This donation will be rewarded with a 3′ x 6′ IBEW 1245 banner to hang at the field all season.
Let’s go bowling! Unit 3912, Fresh Pond SMUD, has decided to donate $100 from the IBEW Community Fund to Knotty Pines Lanes in Pollock Pines. This donation will support the 2014 winter season youth bowling league.
Sometimes it is hard to make choices between two loves. Unit 4012, Susanville, found a way to do it: they chose both. They voted to donate $250 each to the Lassen Youth Soccer League and the Susanville Little League. Both donations will be acknowledged through a banner, uniform shirts and a newspaper ad, all proudly displaying IBEW 1245.
Unit 4014, Frontier, made a choice during the Christmas season of 2013 to help the underprivileged in their community. They did so through a donation of $500 to help the work that the Sacramento area Love Inc. does for the local community. This donation went towards getting furniture into homes and apartments of people who have done without beds, couches or tables.