Jacob Blankenship, U.S. Marine veteran, United Association Veterans in Piping (UA VIP) Camp Pendleton program graduate and member of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Technicians Local 776, Lima, Ohio, organized a 68-mile ruck for veteran suicide awareness. Blankenship was a Field Radio Operator with the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines. After he read the book Tribe: On
On March 24, 2023, a devastating EF4 tornado ripped through the town of Rolling Fork, Miss., destroying everything in its path. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale is used to assign a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. The scale only goes to EF5. The tornado that passed through Rolling Fork
Over the Christmas weekend, the Buffalo region, which is no stranger to snow, was hit with prolonged whiteout conditions and freezing temperatures that contributed to dozens of fatalities. Sha’Kyra Aughtry and her boyfriend, Trent Alls, Jr., who is a third-year apprentice with Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 22, saved a man who was lost in the
The Navajo Nation’s first dedicated plumbing training program was launched this past fall after the completion of a new plumbing classroom and wet lab at the Navajo Technical University (NTU) Kirtland Instructional Site in Kirtland, N.M. The new facility offers a three-semester, 34-credit plumbing certificate program. The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH), in
Since 2013, Plumbers, Steamfitters and HVACR Service Technicians Local 440, Indianapolis, has spearheaded an event called, “Fill the Foxhole.” This event was created by Ralph “Boomer” and Alice Culver, with a mission to ship care packages to deployed troops during the holiday season. When Boomer was a Local 440 instructor, he raised money for this
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 286, Austin, Texas, member Frank Goodwin attends Northlake Church in Lago Vista, Texas. On Nov. 6, 2022, members of the Northlake Church went out into the community to do various forms of charity work they called, “The Big Event.” “The Big Event” is an annual, one-day event, where volunteers and businesses
Project HEAT’S ON (Handicapped and Elderly Assistance To Service Our Neighbors) is a program developed in Minnesota in 1986, where professional union pipefitters and contractors volunteer to provide free furnace and heating inspections for elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners in the Twin Cities metro area, Rochester and St. Cloud. Over the past 35 years, 7,050
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 488, Edmonton, Alberta hosted two successful fundraisers in support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. The funds donated went toward helping people in Ukraine and the Ukrainians who have arrived in Canada seeking refuge. On May 14, 2022, Local 488 and the Retired Members Association (RMA) hosted a BBQ fundraiser at the Local
On Aug. 23, 2019, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, St. Louis, member Sam Jacobson was in a life-altering car accident. Jacobson suffered a major spinal cord injury before he was supposed to begin his third year in the Local 562 apprenticeship. Local 562 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer John O’Mara knew Sam was still interested in working in
