The building trades honored local union officers who have gone on to the International Union on March 30, then used the proceeds from the luncheon to do some good back home.

The Greater Detroit Building Trades Council and its affiliated unions handed out checks totaling $4,000 to the parish priests of St. Cecilia's and St. Rita's, two Detroit churches that do a lot of good for the community.

"It really means a lot to us," said Msg. Thomas Finnigan of St. Cecilia's, a parish which is renowned for sponsoring athletic programs that help inner-city youth. "Contributions like this help us keep going strong, and we're grateful for the generosity."

At St. Rita, Fr. Tim Kane said the money "is another blessing for the youth of our neighborhood. A lot of these kids don't know where their next meal is going to come from." The parish sponsors an after-school study program, where it gives kids a place to hit the books and get a good meal at the same time. They service about 300 young people a week. 

GREATER DETROIT Building Trades Council President John Hamilton and Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Devlin hand over checks to Fr. Tim Kane of St. Rita's Parish and Msg. Thomas Finnegan of St. Cecilia's. Behind them (l-r) are union officers Sam Hart of Operating Engineers 324, Ed Coffey of the Detroit Building Trades, Jack Koby of Iron Workers 25, John Marek of Boilermakers 169, Tom Ingalls of Sheet Metal Workers 80, Jim Lapham of Pipe Fitters 636, Bob Chwalek of Laborers 1076, Elvin Atkins of Cement Masons 514, Jeff Radjewski of Electrical Workers 58, Dave Bremerkamp of Asbestos Workers 25, Frank Kavanaugh of Iron Workers 25 and Ray Chapman of Bricklayers 1.