On October 4, 2008, the Springfield Angel of Hope, NFP dedicated an Angel of Hope Statue in the Washington Park Botanical Garden. The angel statue honors the lives of all children gone too soon and serves as a place of hope and healing for parents, families, and friends dealing with the tragic loss of a child. Over 600 area children's names are commemorated on the Memorial Wall located at the Springfield angel statue site. Information on how to add a child's name to the memorial wall can be found under "Giving Opportunities". The angel in Springfield joins nearly 100 Angel of Hope Statues in other communities across the country (including 7 in Illinois). The original Angel of Hope Statue is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The statue was first introduced to the world in the book The Christmas Box, a worldwide best-selling story by author Richard Paul Evans. In the book, a woman mourns the loss of her child at the base of an angel monument. Although the story is mostly fiction, the angel monument described in the book once existed but was later destroyed in a flood. In response to reports that grieving parents were seeking out the angel as a place to remember and heal, author Richard Paul Evans commissioned a new angel statue.

Congrats to all of these gentleman for receiving their 40 year Gold Cards at the Bloomington General Meeting!

Congratulations to everyone graduating the Apprenticeship Program! Here are several pictures from the graduation event. In the below picture Eric Steele is thanking and congratulating Mike on a job well done for mentoring the apprentices and presenting him with a Local 18 sweatshirt. Eric Steele - Apprenticeship Coordinator, congratulating & thanking Cliff for a job well done mentoring Bryson & presenting him with a Local 18 sweatshirt. Here is Eric Steele presenting Urias Nava with the Outstanding Apprentice of the Year Award.

Congratulations to James (Jimmy) Stewart (right) for receiving your 30 year gold card! Below is a picture of Local 18 President Scott Nimmo (left) presenting it to him.

Congratulations to Thomas Breedlove for receiving his 30 year gold card! Below is a picture of Local 18 President Scott Nimmo presenting it to him.

Initiation Date: 7/23/1957 DOD: 1/15/2020

The following is the class schedule for the Local 18 Cement Mason Apprenticeship. I hope this is self-explanatory, but if you have any questions please feel free to call. Eric Steele 309-966-2475.Classes will be held at the JATF Training Center, 5601 N. Main (IL 116), East Peoria, IL 61611. ​ Hours for the classes will be from 8:00am until 4:00pm Monday - Thursday and 8:00am until noon on Fridays. ​ Mandatory to attend classes: You must bring with you any hours sheets that you have not turned in, and any fines that you owe, with you on the first day you are scheduled for class.

Initiation Date: 10/15/1951 DOD: 12/29/19

Initiation Date: 03/06/1975 DOD: 12/06/2019

See the original post: https://www.opcmia.org/stepano-keynote-address/ At the 52nd OPCMIA General Convention, General President Daniel E. Stepano discussed the state of our union today, our proud past, and the vibrant future each and every member must create for our brothers and sisters, and our families. “We are on the cutting edge of our industry with the best craftspeople in the world working with the strongest, most durable, most adaptable and most creative materials in the world,” he told the delegates. He quoted Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” To which, General President Stepano added, “And that’s what we will do as the OPCMIA, create our own future. “We must do what no other generation of OPCMIA officers and members has had to do before,” he said. “We must invest more in our own members, in their jobs, in their future, in their families and at the same time elevate through education and training. And we must do so in a world in which we must compete for every opportunity available to us, for our members’ sake and the sake of their families. “It is my promise to you and my team’s promise to you, right here, right now at this 52nd Convention, that no matter what happens in the future, we will secure our organization’s future, and will continue moving the OPCMIA forward,” General President Stepano said.

See original post: https://www.opcmia.org/leadership-team/ The OPCMIA stands in solidarity with the 50,000 courageous United Auto Workers members on strike for justice and a fair contract at General Motors. When GM was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2009, UAW members made enormous sacrifices to keep the company alive. Yet now, with GM raking in $35 billion in profits over the past three years, the company is refusing to share its prosperity with the men and women whose loyalty, dedication and hard work made it all possible. Enough is enough! By taking a stand against corporate greed and for simple common decency, our brothers and sisters at the UAW are fighting back against all that’s wrong with our rigged economic system. The OPCMIA has their back — as should all Americans who want to see the middle class start growing again. The UAW’s demands — fair wages, affordable quality health care, their share of profits, job security, and a defined path to permanent seniority for temps — are the least they are owed after all these years of sacrifice. The OPCMIA joins the UAW in demanding that GM return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract. This is a fight we must win — not only for the sake of our brave UAW sisters and brothers, but for all working families. The OPCMIA will stand by the UAW’s side until victory is achieved, whatever it takes and however long it takes! Daniel E. Stepano General President

Initiation Date: 04/13/1973 DOD: 08/11/2019