August XX, 2015

XXX XXXX123 Main StreetPortland, OR 97232

Dear XXX, OTI graduate, Melissa on the job at Gunderson, LLC.

You know what it’s like to earn your way. With your help, women in our community can earn a living wage in a career of their choosing. A job that could actually help them not only afford food and clothing for their family, but also allow them to afford a mortgage for their very own home!

Nothing beats the feeling of paying your own way.

As one of our community participants, you make this reality come true every day when you make a gift to Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. In 2014, these are just a few of the successes you helped make happen:

79 women graduated from our Pathways pre-apprenticeship program in 2014. We helped 88 women get their first job in the trades or move into apprenticeship. 1,997 girls, educators, women and family members attended our annual Women in Trades

Career Fair. 76 girls had fun learning to build at our Building Girls Summer Construction Camps.

But we need your support to help even more women learn about what it takes to become a carpenter, an electrician, a welder, or a cement mason. Please mail in your gift today so we can help more women earn living wages for doing the hard work that builds our community and keeps it thriving.

Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. gives women hope.

Melissa M. is a Pathways to Success graduate who came to OTI when she was struggling with homelessness and uncertainty about her future:

"OTI's pre-apprenticeship program and the people I met while going through it, helped me realize that the jobs I had dreamed about being able to get were actually possible. During my time in class, the biggest thing I noticed were the changes within myself and I felt more confident and stronger than ever."

__________________________________________________________________________________________Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. p 503.335.82003934 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 101 f 503.249.0445Portland, OR 97212 www.tradeswomen.net

Melissa secured a job as a welder with Gunderson after graduating from OTI and received an increase in her hourly wage within a month’s time due to her high quality work.

OTI has been teaching women about career options in the trades since 1989. OTI was founded on the principles that women deserve and can attain economic self-sufficiency through pursuing careers in the building, mechanical, electrical, and utility trades while helping and encouraging the trades industry build up a diverse workforce. 

Please make your tax-deductible donation today so we can be here for hundreds more women who want to make a living wage. With your continuing support, we are able to stretch those dollars in the following ways:

$1,000 Provide support of women to take field trips to local construction sites and trades training centers.

$500 Provide reclaimed lumber and hand tools for special projects.

$300 Provide new measuring tapes for a class of 30 aspiring tradeswomen to use in training and at their new job.

$250 Provide hard hats for 26 pre-apprentice students.

$100 Provide safety glasses for a class of 40 aspiring tradeswomen as they learn construction skills.

$50 Provide new work boots for an apprentice carpenter just starting her new career.

Join us to ensure a bright future for women in the Portland area. It takes all of us to support these women as they embark on this new journey of independence. By making a donation today, you are helping women earn a living that will allow them to build a life for themselves and their loved ones. Women who not only live here, but fulfill their dreams like Melissa did in finding a career that she loves and thrives in.

Sincerely,

Connie Ashbrook

P.S. Check out Melissa who is featured in our Women in Metals & Manufacturing PSA produced by our partner, Bank of America and KGW: https://youtu.be/9GfTKmgZetk