Sometimes, the spirit of giving is contagious, especially at Christmas. At IAM Local 1343, it all started with the goodwill of co-workers in the Shreveport diesel shop, shared for as long as anyone can remember. This Toys For Tots campaign began in 2014 and now celebrates a decade of selfless giving to needy families.
Ty Risor and his wife Heather always had a spirit of helping others. Ty, Local 1343’s current Recording Secretary, was recently elected Secretary-Treasurer. He started the drive to help Toys For Tots by these IAM members in 2014. Since then, they have given over $22,500 worth of new, unwrapped toys to the annual U.S. Marine Corps campaign in northwest Louisiana.
James (JT) Thomas has retired from the shop but will continue as the local secretary/treasurer until next month. He says that each year, after Thanksgiving, when fellow union members see Ty, it sometimes becomes a competition to see who can support him the most. Last year, donations topped $6,000. That made their Marine Corps partners very happy!
“In my shop, we take donations for everything: sick people, new babies, anyone in need,” said Ty Risor. “I hope [kids and families] have a good Christmas without any worries. If you can’t afford it, we can help you.”
And help they did! This year’s drive created a nine-cart train of toys at the checkout counter.
“It’s not just Shreveport. We have seven parishes up here in northwest Louisiana,” said Marine Staff Sergeant Daniel Hooper. “This year, once again, [the machinists] are pulling through. We organize the toys by age group and hand them to churches and other nonprofits. We see a lot of happy faces.”
“Ty and James Thomas’ devotion to Toys for Tots reflects the character of a typical IAM union employee at Local 1343 who is devoted to making a difference for a child at Christmas.” said Joe Smelley, President of Local 1343. This lodge includes machinists on six different railroads in three states. Kevin Davenport, Local 1343 Vice President, echoed President Smelley’s praise of the Shreveport diesel shop members.
Ty’s wife, Heather, works at a City Bank and Trust in the Shreveport area. Her employer also donated funds to this machinist toy drive. She has previously been involved in events such as the Susan G. Komen Fight for the Cure campaign to fund breast cancer research. She understands that this community’s giving nature is multiplied by exponents this time of year. Healthplex Family Clinic is also a sponsor of the lodge’s efforts each year.
Heather said, “We had several people in line that were curious when they saw the buggies full of toys, so a lady approached us when she heard we were donating all the toys we bought for Toys For Tots, and she handed me a hundred dollar bill.”
See Local 1343 ten years of giving
It doesn’t take a Christmas miracle to see the spirit of giving, past, present, or future. These machinists have been helping needy families for as long as anyone can remember.
These railroad Machinist’s Toys For Tots drive has been running for ten years, but the train of smiles in northwest Louisiana goes on much longer.
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