Union go-kart race raises $15,000 for Guide Dogs of America

KENT — Machinists Union Local Lodge 751-F and PGP Motorsports Park teamed up in September to raise more than $15,000 for charity.

The union held its first-ever “Karting Challenge” at the track on Sept. 7. A total of 22 teams — each with four drivers — raced for two straight hours on the PGP go-kart track.

“This was a really fun event,” said Local F Vice President Robley Evans, who was one of the organizers. “We’re looking to do it again next year, and expand it so we can have more people and more teams participate.”

All the money raised goes to Guide Dogs of America, a California-based charity that provides service dogs and training in their use, free of charge, to people who are blind or have impaired vision from across the United States and Canada.

Local 751-F is affiliated with Machinists Union District Lodge 751, which is the No. 1 fundraiser for Guide Dogs of America. Over the past four years, the union has raised more than $1 million for the charity, including a record $299,000 in 2012.

Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at the Boeing Co., District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents more than 32,000 working men and women at 49 employers across Washington, Oregon and California.

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