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District Council 30 - IllinoisDistrict Council 30 Volunteers Put FinishingTouches on Conservation Education CenterAs part of a Union Sportsmen’sAlliance (USA) “Boots on theGround” project, volunteersfrom International Union of Paintersand Allied Trades District Council 30helped put the finishing touches on anew facility that will host youth educationalprograms at the TorstensonFamily Youth Conservation EducationCenter.The center – located just outsideof Rockford, Illinois and adjacent tothe Pecatonica River – is situated on750 acres of property that is comprisedof woodlands, wetlands, andprairies. Owned and managed bythe Illinois Conservation Foundation,the Torstenson Center is a hunting,fishing and birding paradise for areayouth.The project is aimed at expandingthe facility to offer additional educationalopportunities for local scienceclasses, FFA members, and a varietyof other youth organizations. Together,the foundation and seven skilled DC30 volunteers joined forces to refinisha wood ceiling and paint variousportions of the new learning center.Materials for the project were donatedby Sherwin Williams.“These projects are importantto the labor movement because theygive union members the opportunity torefine their skills while working togetherto volunteer for a great cause,” saidRyan Anderson, DC 30 director oforganizational development. “Unionsprovide members with the best when itcomes to career opportunities and representation.It’s great that our membersare able to give some of that back totheir communities with a skill-set thatallows them to do the job right.”In addition to DC 30’s involvement,volunteers from InternationalBrotherhood of Electrical WorkersLocal Union 196 assisted with the projectby removing tree limbs from theyouth camping area located near thenew educational facility.The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s“Boots on the Ground” program unitesunion members who are willing to volunteertheir time and expertise to tackleconservation projects, further improvingand enhancing public access, wildlifehabitats and outdoor experiencesfor communities across America.Volunteers from IUPAT District Council 30 who, as part of a Union Sportsmen’sAlliance (USA) “Boots on the Ground” project, painted a new facility at theTorstenson Family Youth Conservation Education Center in Rockford, Illinois. Picturedfrom left to right: Matt Lines, JATF Instructor David Panico, Stacy Eccles, JATF Directorof Apprenticeship Stephen Lefaver, Steve Zach and JATF Instructor David Arvayo.EXECUTIVE GENERAL VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORTContinued from page 5SSPC. Furthermore, the FTI was also tasked with developinga U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)-approved apprenticeshipprogram for the craft as well.The IUPAT Job Corps program now utilizes that samecurriculum to introduce pre-apprentices to industrial paintingand build our workforce. In the meantime, the IUPATOrganizing Department continues to work with state andfederal agencies to enforce safety and skill standards(successfully lobbied for by the IUPAT government affairsdepartment) within the industry to stop sub-standard companiesfrom putting workers in harm’s way because theydon’t have the level of training we offer. This, in turn, alsoprotects our jobs.This is just one example of how the departmentswithin the IUPAT and our industry association partner,the Finishing Contractors Association (FCA), worktogether for the common goal of winning our signatorycontractors, and thus our members, more work withinour industries.There’s more to come in 2013.I wish you all a safe holiday season and continuedgrowth in the New Year. God Bless.october-december 2012 • J ournal11