Locals 40 and 459 Nurses Help Kids in Need

Local 40’s annual school supply and backpack drive was a big success again this year, collecting more than 200 backpacks fully stocked for the children in its community of Mt. Clemens, Michigan. But the even bigger news is that Local 40 soon will have established an official charitable foundation, the OPEIU Local 40 Nurses Charity Fund. Local 40’s nurses are very excited to take this step to formalize their many charitable endeavors, and are proving that OPEIU nurses are dedicated to helping others—in and outside of the workplace.

Local 459’s nurses are similarly doing good works in their community of Lansing, Michigan, recently conducting their own annual Stuff a Backpack project to help abused, neglected and at-risk children in the foster care system.

“Most of these kids would be singled out and teased on their first day of school because they didn’t have the backpacks and supplies like the other children,” said Local 459 Chief Steward and OPEIU Nurses Council Vice Chair Julie Murray. “I set up collection bins at each of our hospitals and encouraged units to start a friendly challenge to see who can be crowned the ‘most generous unit.’ The kids definitely benefit from this project, but so does every person who contributed something and is able to see what can be accomplished when we come together as a union.”

Way to go, Locals 40 and 459!