This November, the Building Pathways team and hundreds of our supporters and friends came together to celebrate over a decade of work at our 10 +1 Anniversary Gala. Held at the union-built Omni Boston at the Seaport on Thursday, November 17th, the gala honored eight individuals who have been integral to our success.
“Building Pathways started in 2011 as a pre-apprentice program to create greater diversity, inclusion and equity in the construction industry. Over the last decade, we’ve certainly expanded our mission. We now focus on four pillars of work that not only focus on creating a diverse pipeline for getting folks into the trades, but ensure that there are employment and advancement opportunities once they are in the industry,” said Mary Vogel, Executive Director of Building Pathways.
The event included tributes and speeches from our Making a Difference awardees.
“I’m honored to be a recipient this year for making a difference…I want to thank everybody from Building Pathways for helping me figure out what I wanted to do with my life,” said Savy Francis, Building Pathways graduate and awardee.
“We could not have achieved our successes without the collaboration and support of programs like the Building Pathways. Thank you, Mary and Building Pathways, for helping with the creation of the pipeline, as we are creating the demand,” said Maggie Drouineaud, Director of Compliance, University of Massachusetts Building Authority.
“Over a six year period, with the help of NECA Boston, IBEW Local 103 and our JATC, we’ve been able to hire just under 30 Building Pathway graduates. They have tremendous potential and they have bright futures, and they truly are the award,” said Tom Cooney, Vice President, McDonald Electric.
Riccardo Knight, Journeyworker with Laborers Local 223, Building Pathways graduate and awardee, also expressed his appreciation: “I want to thank Building Pathways and its entire staff for giving me the opportunity…I’m living proof that if given a second chance, change is possible.”
We want to express our gratitude for all the time, effort, and resources our supporters have provided to help us further our mission of ushering in a new era of diversity and inclusion in the unionized building trades.
