NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS |
January 5, 2018 | PAGE 7
BUILDING COMMUNITY
‘Young Machinists’ deliver Christmas to teenage foster kids
ABOVE: Machinists Beth Lacey and
Mariah Pierce don Local 63 T-shirts
while wrapping presents. RIGHT:
Beth and Scott Foster oversee the
wrapping party on Dec. 14. LEFT: Lo-
cal 63 President John Kleiboeker. BE-
LOW LEFT: IAM international Special
Representative Gabrielle Rogano.
Local 63 members, DHS workers, and family members pose for a group photo. Machinists are Ayron Moran, Dan Bricker, Dustin Wilhelm, Nathan Aldrich,
Jessica Deming, Mariah Pierce, Yemil Rotar, John Kleiboeker, Andrey Lipnyagov, and Scott and Beth Lacey.
Younger members of Machinists
Local Lodge 63 step up big in
East Multnomah County
“Young Machinists”at Machin-
ists Local Lodge 63 — and some
older ones too — helped brighten
Christmas this year for 110 teen-
age foster kids in East Mult-
nomah County.
The Young Machinists group
was organized a little over a
year ago to get members ages 35
and under more involved with
their union. The group is com-
prised primarily of members
employed at Boeing Co. They
were brainstorming for ways to
serve the community when one
of the group’s leaders — Scott
Lacey — and Local 63 Presi-
dent John Kleiboeker had a
chance encounter with the
owner of KBR Custom Motor-
cycles in Boring, Oregon, who
mentioned that he was looking
for a good cause to donate some
trees from his parents’ Christ-
mas tree farm.
Lacey and Kleiboecker told
him about the Young Machinists
and their search for a commu-
nity project, and the owner
agreed to donate 200 trees for
the group to sell.
Shortly after that, Scott’s
wife, Beth, an apprentice at
Boeing and also a member of
the Young Machinists, learned
through her cousin that the Ore-
gon Department of Human
Services was having trouble fill-
ing an “Angel Tree” the agency
had set up for foster teens this
Christmas. Beth’s cousin is an
intern at DHS.
The Young Machinists had
found their community project.
Scott and Beth gave a report
at their Local 63 union meeting,
along with a request for some
money to further help the cause.
The union responded with a do-
nation of $10,000.
The Young Machinists de-
cided to buy presents for the
teens, and include stockings
filled with personal hygiene
items and pencils, pens, and
stickers with the IAM logo.
They dubbed it “Foster Care
Christmas!”
The Laceys met with case-
workers to compile a list of
“needs” and “wants” specific to
all 110 foster teens in their care.
With the list in hand, Beth
started shopping on line on
Black Friday. She continued
shopping on Saturday, Sunday,
on cyber Monday … until she
had completed the list.
“I thought it would take a few
hours to complete,” she said. “It
took about a week and a half.”
Beth stretched the union’s
cash donation eight-fold, look-
ing for the best deals, rebates,
and cash-back offers from area
retailers.
“Over the years I’ve had
training shopping strategically
and creatively for our four kids,”
she said.
On Dec. 14, a dozen Machin-
ists — including IAM interna-
tional Special Representative
Gabrielle Rogano — and some
of their family members wrap-
ped all the gifts. Then, over the
next 10 days caseworkers deliv-
ered the packages to their
clients.
“This is a true blessing for
them to do this for us,” said
caseworker Anthony Lackey, ex-
plaining that oftentimes during
the holiday season teens get over-
looked as more focus goes to
younger children.
“Our kids wouldn’t have
much otherwise,” he said
“This won’t be a one-time
deal, either,” Kleiboeker said.
The Young Machinists and
Local 63, which represents
workers at 12 shops, intend to
meet with caseworkers through-
out the New Year and beyond to
arrange mentor groups to talk to
the foster teens about careers as
a machinist.
“It’s just the beginning,”
Kleiboeker said.