National Community Outreach Program
The National UAW-Ford Department's Community Outreach Program was established in 2012 with a main purpose of showing communities how collective bargaining between unions and corporations not only helps its union members but is also beneficial to communities as a whole.
The program began by providing wheelchair ramps to individuals and families in need through the United Way's Ray West Memorial Ramp Project. The ramp project has grown tremendously since the collective bargaining agreement in 2011. Since the program's start to present day, UAW-Ford has continued to have a vested interest in helping communities. Although the program started locally in Michigan, it has since expanded across the United States to include Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, and New York.
Ramp crews consist of UAW-Ford members and retirees that live and work in the communities. Individuals and families in need have benefitted from these programs helping to alleviate the mobility stresses they face every day. Today the crews not only build ramps but also build and modify housing. In addition, they are involved in other community projects that arise such as:
- The Vision Impaired Project (VIP) in Kentucky, which provides visually impaired children with an outside training area to help them navigate sidewalks, roads, crosswalks, etc.
- The Down Syndrome Association, providing reconstruction services to help rebuild a school for special needs children
- The Vietnam Wall Memorial in Kentucky which built an 80% scale wall of the National Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington D.C and pavilion honoring veterans.
- Construction of tiny homes in Missouri for veterans and their families
- Construction of a pavilion in Pioneer Camp in New York, which helps children of active service men and women who have lost their lives in action
- Partnering with the United Way S/SW Suburban Regional Office in Chicago on various construction projects
- Providing assistance to Habitat for Humanity and various organizations throughout Michigan
The National UAW-Ford Community Outreach Program continues to grow and seek ways to help the communities in which they service by working with local municipalities, charities and organizations. These relationships continue to be fundamental in UAW-Ford’s commitment to community outreach.
Partners and Links:
Locations:
- Buffalo/New York
- Chicago/Illinois
- Cleveland/Ohio
- Kansas City/Missouri
- Lima/Ohio
- Louisville/Kentucky
- Detroit/Michigan