A Roaring Success: IAM's Puppy Putt Raises $12,000 For Charity

SEATTLE — The 10th annual Puppy Putt charity motorcycle event raised more than $12,000 for Guide Dogs of America.

More than 75 riders took part in the poker run. Motorcyclists left from Sound Harley-Davidson in Marysville and Northwest Harley-Davidson in Lacey, and met at Machinists Union District Lodge 751‘s Seattle Union Hall for an afternoon of motorcycle-themed games.

Dennis Meech — a Machinists Union member who lost his eyesight in a motorcycle accident three years ago — was a special guest at the event, along with his guide dog, Lefty. Meech drew the winning raffle ticket for a Harley-Davidson Sportster, which was won by Tom Murphy of Everett.

“It was a great day,” said Terri Myette, who is co-chairwoman of the Puppy Putt organizing committee. “We had a good turn-out, great support from our sponsors and the weather cooperated just long enough.”

Machinists District 751 sponsors the annual event to benefit Guide Dogs of America, a California-based charity that provides service dogs to people across North America who are blind or have impaired vision.

Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at Boeing, District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents some 32,000 working men and women at 48 employers across Washington, Oregon and California. In 2011, members of the union’s Machinists Volunteer Program donated more than 10,000 hours to community service work, while other volunteers raised more than $263,000 for Guide Dogs of America, the union’s charity of choice.

To learn more about District 751, read the Machinists News.