Symeon Tsoupelis, Owner of Symeon’s Restaurant; John Amicucci, Oneida Electric; Kristen Copeland, WKTV; and Patrick Costello, IBEW Local 43; present a check for the cancer center. Seated are phone volunteers.
Only a handful of people can claim they
intimately know the buildings of Faxton
St. Luke’s Healthcare. The members of
International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Local #43 (IBEW) are among them,
says Assistant Business Manager Pat
Costello. “We know Faxton St. Luke’s
inside and out because we’ve installed
and pulled wires everywhere in their
buildings.”
But the folks at the IBEW
know something more about Faxton St.
Luke’s Healthcare and what it brings to
our community. Costello notes, “The
services at the Regional Cancer Center
are second to none and we want the
cancer center to know that we appreciate
that they are there for us. We are
blessed to have them.”
This sentiment
and working with the National Electrical
Contractors Association (NECA) was the
catalyst to a shift in the relationship
between Faxton St. Luke’s and IBEW. A
simple business relationship in
conjunction with NECA that spanned
decades blossomed into a partnership
with even deeper meaning through the
Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation
in the early 1990s. “We started our
charitable giving program to give back
to the community organizations that
serve our members and their families,”
Costello said.
It became personal to
IBEW when former business manager Ken
Williams was being treated for cancer.
“We visited him there many times during
his treatment. The dignity, class and
professionalism exhibited by staff was
overwhelming to me,” Costello said. When
Williams passed away, IBEW contributed
the funds to help build the Outpatient
Infusion Unit in his memory. In more
recent years, the Stomp Out Cancer
Telethon took on renewed significance
for IBEW after losing business manager
William Towsley to cancer.
John Kogut,
president of Kogut Electric a long time
Foundation board member, plays an active
role with NECA and is an important part
of the magic that has taken place
between IBEW, NECA and the Regional
Cancer Center. Because of a family
history with the disease, he has taken a
personal interest in supporting The
Regional Cancer Center be serving as a
conduit between the organizations.
“Both
IBEW and NECA work together
professionally and we both recognize how
important the commitment to our
community is,” said Kogut. “We’ve always
had a very good relationship and working
together along with the hospital is a
natural extension to this.”
Kogut explained that he has been
involved in IBEW’s Health and Welfare
Fund for member Healthcare for more
than 30 years. “It exists to benefit the
health of members,” he says. “It makes
sense that The Regional Cancer Center at
Faxton St. Luke’s is among the
organizations we support.”
That are
1,300
IBEW members in 11 New York
counties with anchors located in
Syracuse, Utica and Oswego. Costello
says that almost 500 members, including
retirees and their families, reside in
the Utica area.
The funding IBEW
provides for Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare
comes from the dues of its working union
members and the employers. A portion is
earmarked for community contributions
and those dollars are contingent on how
many members are working, construction
projects that are underway and,
ultimately, the economy.
“We can’t
create jobs, but we can man them when
they exist,” said Costello. “Even through
a down economy, our promises were kept
to the organizations we support. We’re
very proud of that.” The IBEW has a
five-year commitment to Faxton St.;
Luke’s Healthcare. They work to maintain
a specific giving level each year and
that can be challenging in the
construction business.
Yet Costello was
nothing but optimistic for the future of
the relationship between The Regional
Cancer Center and the IBEW. “There is no
end in sight. As long as there’s money,
Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation
will be on the top of our list.”
John Amicucci, Oneida Electric; and Patrick Costello, IBEW Local 43; present Foundation Executive Director Eileen Pronbis with a check for the cancer center
Stomp Out Cancer