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Variety – The Children’s Charity

It’s late 1927 in Pittsburgh and 11 close friends have organized a social club where they could relax and unwind with good company after they’d finished their day’s work.  They decided their new Club’s main principle would simply be “friendship”.  Since the original group came from show business, they decided to call themselves “The Variety Club” and they rented a space in a local hotel for their use.

Just over one year later, on Christmas Eve, a baby was left abandoned in a nearby theatre, a theatre which happened to be owned by one of the members of the Variety Club, with a note pinned to her little dress.

 The note read:

“Please take care of my baby.  Her name is Catherine.  I can no longer take care of her.  I have eight others.  My husband is out of work.  She was born on Thanksgiving Day.  I have always heard of the goodness of show business people and I pray to God that you will look out for her.”

After extensive efforts to locate Catherine’s family proved fruitless, the fledgling Variety Club decided they had to act on her behalf and became her “godfathers” and looked after her support and education.  She was named Catherine Variety Sheridan (she was found in the Sheridan Theatre).

The Variety Club found a new meaning for its existence and, due to the ensuing media attention, interest in helping Catherine grew into a nation-wide organization whose charity was far exceeding the needs of just one child.  Therefore, it was decided that the now much larger Variety Club would work for the benefit of other children in need.

Now known as Variety – the Children’s Charity, this movement has grown to more than 40 Chapters around the world with thousands of dedicated volunteers.  In the past 80 years, Variety has raised over $1.5 billion for children and their families who are in dire need of assistance.

British Columbia’s Chapter was established in 1965 and has raised over $170 million on behalf of children of BC.

http://www.variety.bc.ca/


Testimonial

"I have been a member of Teamsters Local 464 for 23 years and have seen many of the executives come and go. Some of the previous executives nearly ran the Local into bankruptcy including losing our pension.  Bobby Kornhass, Bob Ryder and Paul Barton brought us back from the brink. Since they took over in 2000, we at Dairyland (Saputo) have had the best contracts I have seen since I have been there."

- Randy Onyschak

For 35 years I have been a Teamster and a Dairyworker, I was a young kid needing a job in tough economic times. I found a place to work and make a living, I learned to work together with others having varying and different backgrounds than my own.

Much has changed for me personally and professionally, I got married to my beautiful wife of almost 25 years and we have raised two amazing children, both of whom are presently studying abroad. Both of my children were recipients of Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Funding.

So much of my success I can credit to having a well paying union job. The Teamsters have been a great union for me, negotiating strong collective agreements that held good wage and benefit packages as well as the cornerstone beliefs of seniority and workers’ rights. The Teamsters gave me a good wage and a voice.

I have always been an active Teamster, and now I sit on Local 464's Executive Board.

There can be a great degree of personal feelings when the word union is mentioned, but so often I look at professional associations and realize the name may be different, but the thought is the same...strength in numbers.

As I get toward the end of my career, I look forward to the thought of receiving the Teamsters Canada Pension Plan, and I am so grateful for the belief others had before me that Teamsters deserved a good and decent retirement...thank you.

Drew


- Drew Speirs

“I look after a lot of members in a very big plant. For years I had to fight for them by myself with no help at all from any of the Union’s representatives or Officers. This changed completely once Bobby, Bob and Paul were in office. Now I have access to my reps 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!  They’re always there to back me up.” 

- Darrell Lawres – Chief Shop Steward. Saputo, Sperling