Local 562 ‘angels’ lead team upgrading home

St. Louis County – Four volunteers from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562, plus Integrated Facility Services (IFS) and the Murphy Company, donated labor and materials to assist a disabled homeowner in St. Louis County on July 9.

The commitment was inspired by the success of a long-standing home repair program of the Housing Partnership in Lemay, a non-profit community development corporation in its 25th year of providing residential development services, home-buying assistance and home repair for low-to-moderate-income citizens.

The home repair program helps those with limited incomes keep their homes in good, livable condition and stabilizes the neighborhoods in which they live.

Volunteering their time and expertise were Local 562 members Josh Temple with IFS, an HVAC contractor in Fenton, and Tom Madden, Riley Baumer, and Brett Thuet, all employed by Murphy Co., a regional construction company and mechanical contractor from Olivette.

The Housing Partnership coordinated the effort with Local 562 to help Sue Thompson, a disabled homeowner who lives in south St. Louis County.

‘THESE GUYS ARE ANGELS!’
Thompson was delighted by the timely project. “This a blessing that means that I can stay independent in my home as I age,” she said. “I am on disability and could never afford this work. Plumbing is such a huge part of home ownership, and I have asthma and must live in as clean of an environment as I possibly can. These guys are angels!”

It was the third volunteer initiative spearheaded by Tom Madden, who is also a Housing Partnership board member.

“From my beginning as an apprentice, 562 has always been involved in programs helping people who may not be able to do the work themselves or afford to hire a plumbing company,” Madden said. “We are blessed to have these skills that we learn in school and be able to use them to help people in our communities, which is not only rewarding, but the right thing to do.”

The plumbers provided all the necessary materials and labor to complete the job, which included replacing the main plumbing stack, re-piping the kitchen sink, replacing the garbage disposal, and replacing a shower valve. Their effort resulted in a total donation of approximately $5,000.

IT’S ABOUT GIVING BACK
Temple and Baumer cited how much giving back is part of what Local 562 stresses from first joining, but also important in their own lives.

“Family has always been very important to me growing up, and as soon as I joined Local 562, it was basically me joining another family,” Baumer said.

Added Temple: “I grew up in 562 since I was a child, with my father Willie Temple taking me along on different union jobs. He always taught me giving back was a very important thing with being part of 562, and as a young man growing up.”