Machinists Union local lodge pitches in for charity

MAPLE VALLEY – The eighth annual Shoes for Puppies charity horseshoe tournament will be in Maple Valley in August.

The tournament will start at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at the South Seattle Saddle Club, 22740 SE 228th St.

The event is sponsored by Machinists Union Local Lodge 751-E and is a fundraiser for Guide Dogs of America. Along with the horseshoe tournament, there will be a barbecue and beverages, and tournament participants will be able to camp all weekend free at the tournament site.

Registration costs $50 per person. Registration forms are available at all Machinists Union District Lodge 751 union halls in Auburn, Everett, Renton and Seattle.

Last year’s tournament raised some $2,500 for Guide Dogs of America, which is a California-based charity that provides service dogs to people across North America who are blind or have impaired vision.

Overall in 2010, Machinists Union District Lodge 751, with which Local 751-E is affiliated, raised more than $276,000 for Guide Dogs.

In addition, a union member – Dennis Meech of Goldendale – last year became the first person connected with District 751 to receive a guide dog from the charity. He had been a member of Local Lodge 1951 in the Tri-Cities before a 2007 motorcycle accident on his way home from work left him unable to see.

Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at the Boeing Co., Machinists District 751 now represents more than 28,000 working men and women at 44 employers across Washington, Oregon and California.  In 2010, District 751 members gave nearly 6,200 hours of volunteer community service and raised more than $276,000 for Guide Dogs of America, the union’s charity of choice.

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