CHICAGO WOMEN IN TRADES CELEBRATES 20 YEAR
On November 8, 2001, Chicago Women In Trades members, board and staff began our third decade of growth with a celebration that was beyond expectations. The dinner was at Reza’s Restaurant in Downtown Chicago. Members greeted over three hundred guests, singer Lucy Smith and her band and tradeswomen Peggie Carlson.
The event created a platform to reinvigorate old relationships and build many new ones. CWIT was excited to welcome our Distinguished Chair the Carpenter’s Labor and Management Committee, Chair IBEW Local 134/NECA Chicago, and Sponsor S&C Electric Company. 
In addition, F.H. Paschen/S.N. Nielsen & Associates, Greatline Communications, IBEW Local #134, LaSalle Bank, MA Steel Erectors, Inc. and Pipefitters’ Training Fund #597 were members of the Benefit Committee. The program book included ads from sixty-one industry and community partners. In total, we built and strengthened relationships as well as created new unrestricted funds to sustain our programs for women and girls.
The celebration also provided women working in non-traditional careers with more visibility. As we prepared for the event and on the day itself, we welcomed members of the press. The dinner also empowered members to become more active in the agency’s programs and services. CWIT members, staff and board are utilizing this renewed energy and excitement to empower us towards building more pathways for women and girls towards economic self-sufficiency through careers in the trades.
