On Sunday, September 4, 2016, District Council 30 hosted its first annual PATCH Run with the Lion 5K, one of two large fundraising initiatives the organization conducted throughout 2016. In preparation for the event, DC 30’s newly formed CORE Advisory Council worked with DC 30 leadership to coordinate the event logistics, promote the event to their communities, and establish a plan for the funds raised.
CORE, or Community Organizing for Real Economics, is an initiative officially adopted as a priority of the IUPAT in 2008. In the fall of 2015, DC 30 committed to implementing a local CORE initiative and announced the formation of the CORE Advisory Council, urging interested members to participate in community organizing activities throughout the year.
The leadership of DC 30 committed to a multi-level fundraising initiative, consisting of a cash raffle and a community 5K event. Through the 30K for DC 30 Cash Raffle, district council staff and CORE Advisory Council members sold 1,200 tickets throughout the summer with a goal to raise $30,000, $15,000 of which was awarded to raffle winners in increments varying between $500 and $5,000, and the remainder was donated to the PATCH Foundation. The cash raffle drawing was conducted during DC 30’s community 5K event on Labor Day Weekend.
Union members, staff, and families joined the local community on Sunday, September 4, 2016, for DC 30’s first annual PATCH Run with the Lion 5K, held at Blackberry Farm in Aurora, Illinois. Over 150 runners participated in the event, which consisted of an adult 3.1 mile race, a 1-mile “Little Lions” race for children, music and entertainment from the PATCH lion mascot, and admission to the Blackberry Farm park following the race
In coordination with the cash raffle and PATCH Run with the Lion 5K, DC 30 successfully raised $28,796 for the PATCH Foundation this summer. Next year, DC 30 plans to use these funds in their launch of a new grant program that will be open to community organizations across Illinois.
“Fundraising initiatives, and subsequent grant initiatives of this nature, enable us to use our resources to engage the community and grow our membership,” said DC 30 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Ryan Anderson. “By identifying ways to strengthen community partnerships throughout our jurisdiction, we will generate a growing interest in union membership, while also creating more opportunities for our organization to showcase our craft and give back.”