Bicycle Ride for Alex – through every ILWU port from Canada to Los Angeles
ILWU Pensioner Paul Zuanich has volunteered to ride a bicycle from the Canadian Border to San Pedro. Why?
North will meet South at an event only the ILWU can design. The Union’s fundraising committee, ILWU Walk the Coast, revealed that a pensioner is going on a bicycle ride. This is not a short outing on a lazy day or a sightseeing excursion. When the ILWU does something it is often big and unusual. In the name of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, member Paul Zuanich has volunteered to take a challenging 1750-mile, 30-day electric bicycle journey to shine a beacon on the need to help children and their families.
To kickstart his ride, Paul will meet some of our Canadian and Yankee brothers and sisters. Local 500 President Rino Voci and Secretary John Urrico have accepted Walk the Coast’s invitation to travel from their Vancouver, British Columbia headquarters on June 5th to meet Paul and Local 7 President Bryson Tripp and some of his Bellingham members. Peace Park at the USA-Canada border will be the backdrop for this powwow and photo shoot. After North meets South to start the union ride of a lifetime, Paul will spin his pedals from Canada through Washington, Oregon and California. This difficult challenge will take our rider and our message to save children to Bellingham, Anacortes, Everett, Port Angeles, Port Gamble, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Aberdeen, Astoria, Longview, Vancouver, Portland, Newport, North Bend, Eureka, Sacramento, Stockton, San Francisco, Port Hueneme and finally to the July 5th Bloody Thursday Memorial Picnic in San Pedro. Time and distance issues will cause Paul to miss only one port, Local 29 San Diego.
The purpose of Paul’s adventure is to do good for children in need, unite every Division of the ILWU, and bring awareness to the work our ILWU fundraiser is doing to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. ALSF was founded by a beautiful four-year-old child, Alexandra Scott. Near her first birthday she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, at that time an always-fatal childhood disease. When Alex was in the hospital at age four, she announced to her mother that, after she left the hospital, she would hold a lemonade stand to raise money for other children. With her brother’s help, Alex raised $2000. Before her 2004 passing at age 8, Alex had raised over $1,000,000. Her mother, Liz, and dad, Jay, thought the effort ended. Alex was such an inspiration that people wouldn’t quit. The Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a fundraising movement. Today, ALSF is one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. and Canada. Alex’s foundation has raised more than $450 million, funding nearly 1,000 research projects at 150 institutions, and providing travel and support programs to families affected by childhood cancer.
No other union attempts anything like our union-wide fundraiser. As usual, the ILWU stands out. Locals are free to meet Paul and give support in any way they choose. With the ILWU Credit Union’s help, flyers will be distributed, posters will be hung in several locals and at the entrance to the ILWU International offices. Invitation letters and information on how our members can assist Paul’s ride were mailed to as many West Coast locals and groups as possible. To welcome Paul, ILWU Walk the Coast encourages longshore locals to connect with clerks, pensioners, auxiliaries, industry companies, family, friends and, in ports where they operate, the Inland Boatmen’s Union. One thing every port can do to boost Paul’s ride is to take photos of each other with Paul. Email your photos to Local 63 Contract Administrator Robert Maynez, rmaynez@ilwu63.net. Photos will be posted on the ILWU Walk the Coast Facebook page and in an issue of The Dispatcher.
Companies have been very supportive, but businesses are simply not built to organize like our union can. ILWU members have long-term friendships made and cultivated during committee meetings, caucuses and conventions. ILWU Walk the Coast is uniquely positioned to organize a fundraiser that unites ILWU locals and divisions from Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California by calling on pension groups, auxiliaries, industry companies, family and friends. Companies have different strengths. The Pacific Maritime Association notified ILWU Walk the Coast that they donated $10,000 to our ALSF fundraiser. Not only did the PMA donate, but they are also committed to encouraging every member company to participate. One has to reflect on the significance of the PMA’s donation and the accompanying commitment. Those with whom we bargain regard the integrity of the union so highly that they are willing to put their name next to the ILWU’s. Our reputations are linked to doing something good, not as separate entities, but as an industry. The potential and capability of the fundraiser has doubled. This ride is a mission. Everyone in our industry can come together to save children’s lives. The ILWU is proud to boast that our fundraiser is responsible for more than $1.3 million in total donations for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s research and family support programs.
If you have any questions, please contact Robert Maynez or ILWU Credit Union VP Rob York, ryork@ilwucu.org. Every individual, local or company that donates any amount will have their name or logo printed in The Dispatcher’s annual Thank You ad. If you don’t have a logo, Rob York will create one for you. A donation of any amount is appreciated and acknowledged. The size of your donation is not the goal. Uniting for children is paramount. For more information, to donate or to see your donation on the Donor Honor Roll, go to www.ilwuwalkthecoast.org. Paul’s ride schedule can be found at this site and will be printed in a future copy of The Dispatcher. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. This is your fundraiser. Have fun with it.