Monthly newsletter for April 2021
Presidents Message
Happy 58th Anniversary ladies! April marks the month that the Eugene-Springfield chapter became the 77th chapter to charter in the National Association of Women in Construction!
A bit more of our NAWIC history, by Ellie Cooper:
The Portland Chapter #54 recruited the business sponsors, members and the women of Eugene, Oregon to help get us chartered on April 17, 1963. The chartering was held in the historic Eugene Hotel located on East Broadway.
The National NAWIC President from St Louis, Florence Creighton, presented the charter to “Cascade” chapter's first President, Helen Sill, with 28 members! The chapter name was changed to Eugene, Oregon and was part of Region #9, the Pacific NW chapters and Canada, with the National Office in Fort Worth, Texas. Since then Canada has created their own Women in Construction, CAWIC, and many other countries have also! NAWIC's Non-profit status was filed by the state of Texas in 1959-60. The national magazine, NAWIC IMAGE, was published in 1969-70 for all members to enjoy. Nowadays our Chapter is still going strong, with 28 total members (just in time for our anniversary!), and tons of NAWIC pride.
Thanks everyone for an awesome 58 years! Let's keep it going for another 58 years and beyond!
Next month we will present and vote on the 2021-2022 officers, announce the Chapter Awards, and lots of other goodies, so make sure to attend the Zoom meeting on May 12th for these updates and more! -Myranda Kelly
McKenzie River Fire Restoration Shed Build Project
The Shed Build Project had students from McKenzie School District working with the Blue River Community to build replacement sheds for those who lost a structure in the devastating Summer 2020 McKenzie River Area fire. A few of our NAWIC gals: Cassandra Dare, Karen Jones, Kim McBride, Ellie Cooper, and Wendy Hughes came out to Vida, Oregon to volunteer on Saturday the 24th and help build some of these sheds!
Ellie gave us an update of the day: "We had a really good time building the side walls for the sheds....and we completed 3! Kim was our instructor as Karen was sent out to help roof one of the completed and delivered shed. We were given basic instructions, then Kim demonstrated the use of impacts to screw the studs and headers. We placed 9 studs and the header and bottom beams onto the jig that was preset to make the basic frame. After that was screwed down, we put on the outside board and screwed that into place. Then Kim sawed the excess pieces off the outside board to complete the side wall. There was lots of measuring, as well as clamping and chalk lines used! We finalized the day by assisting Karen as she did the doorway for one of the gable sides." All in all, sounds like a great day! Thanks ladies for helping out such an awesome cause! Read more about this effort in a article just posted on The Register-Guard.
Cassandra Dare, Karen Jones, Kim McBride, Ellie Cooper, and Wendy Hughes helping with the shed build in Vida, Oregon
Habitat for Humanity - Women Build 2021
Join us this May for the annual Women Build event in Harrisburg, Oregon! We're building on the success of our 2019 Women Build and we want to make this year’s gathering even better.
To comply with state guidelines and to make the event as safe as possible for everyone, participation is limited. Sign up for the May 22nd Industry Day and we’ll make sure you come away from the event energized and with a sense of accomplishment.
Space is limited; a maximum of 25 attendees will be allowed each day. We will be constructing and raising walls and other build activities, as Empowered Women Empowering Women. For more information, please visit Habitat for Humanity Junction City/Harrisburg
Where: 943 Territorial St, Harrisburg, OR 97446
When: Saturday, May 15, 2021 - Community Build Day
Saturday, May 22, 2021 - Industry Day (This is the day you want as a NAWIC gal!)
Because of the sponsorships that we have received, we have spots available for any NAWIC member to participate without the suggested donation/registration fee. If you are interested in helping out, please make sure to sign up for the Industry Day: May 22nd and put NAWIC in the company/association field. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kim McBride.
Annual Women Build 2019
PNW Spring Forum
We won 4th place for our WIC Week participation! Thank you to Robin and Ellie for all your hard work that made this years WIC Week possible!
We celebrated our chapter’s longevity. Cary Kuvaas has been a member for 25 years, with Nancy Cary close behind at 30 years! A big thank you and congratulations are in order. You guys are a big part of what makes our chapter so great. Thank you for all your hard work!
Robin Langkamp also hit the longevity mark at 35 years. Myranda had the honor of reading a little something about her at the forum. They asked for three words that described her, which of course we immediately came up with knowledgeable, dedicated, and sassy! With some help from our awesome members, this is what we had to say: "Robin has been the backbone of our chapter for 35 years. Her expertise and passion for NAWIC knows no bounds, and she is always quick to help anyone when they have questions or need guidance. As the anchor of our chapter, she always "fills the gap" when needed, meaning she is always willing to take on roles and fill positions that are vacant, such as being chapter President, more times than anyone past or present. Her contribution and dedication is unmatched and so incredibly appreciated by us all. Now, mind you, the above mentioned is just on a chapter level! At the regional level she has performed the roles of Treasurer, Regional Director, any many more. ANY chapter would benefit from having Robin on their team, but we are so lucky to have her on our ours!"
Again, thank you ladies for all your years with us, and we hope many many more to come!
Last but certainly not least, our very own Ellie Cooper has won the Regional Lifetime Achievement Award!!! The speech was read by Ruth Fritts, and was written by a few awesome gals in the chapter, which will be posted in next month's newsletter when we announce our Chapter Awards! Congratulations Ellie!!!!
A Bit of Fun
The image below was taken from the photo of our Stroll in the Park during WIC Week. Last month we asked for the best and/or funniest caption for these couple of pups! See the winning caption below:
"Socializing after quarantine isn't exactly a walk in the park"
While we never actually received submissions for the caption contest, the one above was provided by Myranda's husband Josh. A big thank you to him for his contribution!