News Archive: Oregon Tradeswomen Activities

Take Your Daughter To Work Day 1998

OTN Race for the Cure Team to Honor Steamfitter Barbara Walters

A Starlight Event

OTN Plans for the Future - Strategic Planning 1998

Take Your Daughter To Work Day 1998

Take Your Daughter to Work Day was held on Thursday April 23. This nationally recognized event, started by the Ms. Foundation, gives girls a chance to see what the world of work is all about. This year OTN teamed up with the Association of General Contractors, Emerick Construction and the Plumbers and Steamfitters to give forty-five girls a non-traditional workplace experience.

• Helensview and Monroe High School students went to the Plumbers and Pipefitter training Center where a apprentice Jeannine Benke and instructor Mike Jurkiewicz gave them demonstrations.
• Middle school students from various schools toured the Oregonian office remodel being done by Emerick Construction, and the Oregonian printing press site.
  
• Three Monroe students went with a firefighter for the day. He took them to the training facility to observe the day’s training activities and then to a firehouse to review the equipment used and meet some firefighters.
  
• Plumber Elizabeth Beardslee-Folsom took a student with her as she repaired plumbing equipment for Portland Public Schools.
  
• Electrician Traci Sullivan took a student to work with her as she did residential remodeling for Far West Electric.
• Carpenter Kathryn Merritt took a young woman with her on her job as maintenance supervisor for the Portland Park Bureau.
  

The story of this teen mom shows why it is important for girls to get the opportunity to spend time with tradeswomen at work. That morning she was planning on being a beautician. After spending the day in the carpenter shop, she had to be dragged away from her worksite. She was very excited to learn that she could have a career in the trades. She is now planning on attending the Women In Trades Fair, and will be checking out various programs including B-FIT.

Many thanks to the women who went out of their way to share of their lives with these young women. You are influencing the next generation of tradeswomen!

If you would like to sign up for 1999; either to mentor an inquiring mind for four hours or if you know of a girl looking for an opportunity, please call Sarah at 503-943-2250. Or you can email Sarah at sarah@tradeswomen.net.

OTN Race for the Cure Team to Honor Steamfitter Barbara Walters

Join the OTN team as we “Race For the Cure” for breast cancer in honor of one of our long time members. Steamfitter Barbara Walters got bad news last December. She had breast cancer. This disease strikes one in nine women nationwide.

On December 31st, 1997, Barbara had a modified radical mastectomy, followed by several months of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments. Her doctor said the muscles she had developed from her years in the trades really helped him when he did the surgery.

Barbara has worked as a steamfitter since December 1975 - being one of the first women in Oregon to enter her trade. She has been a faithful volunteer for OTN - working with the Women In Trades Fair, Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Christmas in April and other projects, and now serving on our board of directors.
Barbara’s hair has grown out to about 1 inch long now and she is feeling better. “I saved a lot of money on hair products”, she says with her typical humor. With tears in her eyes, she talked about all the support she got from her family, her partner Andy, her union, worksite and OTN. “I got plants and flowers for months. The card and calls are still coming in from tradeswomen - and its been 9 months since my surgery.”

She went on to say that with breast cancer it is not a clearly defined cure - but as far as she knows, she is done with surgery and treatment. “Its a wait and see thing now - I will have check ups every 2-6 months to make sure it doesn’t return. There is a 35% chance that it would return in the next 5 years. But I intend to survive. I remind myself of a saying we have in the trades - ŒWhen the going gets tough, the tough get going’.”

A Starlight Event

NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction) and OTN wowed Portland on May 31st in the Rose Festival Starlight Parade. For those unfamiliar with this event, it takes place at night, and each float is lighted for a "starlight" effect.

An early morning downpour made us fear the worst for the 8pm parade, but by afternoon it had cleared up and the sun had come out.

The NAWIC and OTN crews had built a fabulous float showing construction equipment and tools; scaffolding, pipe threader, wheelbarrow, wrenches, levels, hammers, ect. A gaily lit dump truck pulled the float.

OTN women showed our pride in our crafts as we marched alongside the float in our hardhats, tools and work gear. Kids laughed with delight as welder D.J. Darco flashed sparks from her striker.

Young women screamed out, "you go, girl!" and "girls rule!", while older women gave us smiles and nods of acknowledgment. A woman said, "I could be marching with you...I'm a laborer." Although one sour man said, "you are taking all the men's jobs" (our response, "they are our jobs, now, buddy!"), most of the men along the parade were appreciative of our float, and the NAWIC "men's auxiliary" who helped build the float and drove the truck were great.

About three-forths of the way through the parade route, it decided to rain on us again and we got soaked. Fortunately, we all had our rain coats and hard-hats on, so at least we were partially dry.

It was fun, we got our message across and we even won the prize for Miscellaneous Entry, Special Mention. Look for us next year!

OTN Plans for the Future - Strategic Planning 1998

Every year OTN Board and members gather for a weekend retreat to make plans for the future. This year, we went to Silver Falls Conference Center near Salem. This is a beautiful wooded site in the Silver Falls State Park. We stayed in cute little cabins, not too rustic! The folks at the conference center cooked wonderful meals for us so we could concentrate on our work.

Our group consisted of six Board members - Jill Axtell (and her daughter Katie), Judy Campagna, Susan Dobrof, Marjorie Ramirez, Maria Solano and June Tremain; two members - Lydia Shevchuck and Kerry Campbell; two staff - Connie Ashbrook and Sarah Cloud; and our dynamic facilitator - Mimi Maduro.

We reviewed our accomplishments for the year, looked at our strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We developed an action plan that incorporated seven goals to guide us for the next year and a half.
Our goals are to:

• Continue OTN’s organizational development - including building a e-mail communication system, web-site, start fundraising and personnel committees, hire office manager.
  
• Communicate and outreach to OTN members and constituents - including developing more outreach materials such as posters and information sheets on particular topics, develop phone trees, conduct house parties, get our info in the media and hold a 10th Anniversary Party (Look for this in Fall of 1999!).
  
• Recruit more women into the trades.
  
• Retain women in the trades,
  
• Continue to involve tradeswomen in OTN, using the survey to develop issue campaigns.
  
• Provide technical assistance to JATCs, unions and employers, and
  
• Continue being a force on public policy.
  

We all worked very hard, but we also laughed, shared stories, went for walks in the beautiful woods and got to know each other better. The full plan is available to members upon request. Here’s to a bigger and better OTN in the coming years!