Jendco Gives Back - April 2022 Campaign Kickoff

National Sisterhood United for Journeymen Linemen (NSUJL)

A small group of us from the IBEW Wives Facebook Group banded together on January 26, 2012 with an idea of having a basket raffle to help raise funds for the family of John Plante, a JL out of Local 104 who was tragically killed. Searches for non-profit organizations to donate the funds to returned with no results. It was frustrating to us wanting to participate in fundraising for the grieving families that not one charity existed for linemen. The dangers surrounding this profession are abundant. This was the fire that lit NSUJL’s Mission.

Taking on what turned out to be months of legalities that appeared never-ending, we carried on. With no startup money, our original officers, directors, and members all donated from their own pockets to fund the “startup” expenses, very passionate and determined to help families. When NSUJL officially became a membership organization in April of 2012, those funds helped assist our ability to pay the $850 IRS filing fee and $500 for the accountant to fill out NSUJL’s tax exempt form 1023. Our first major bill being the required Directors and Officers Insurance of $1400. Unable to even consider paying it all upfront, we spread these payments over the course of a few months just barely scraping together the funds to do so.

While legalities were underway, the operations started to take shape. The country was divided into 6 regions all run by a regional director. Under each regional director, we began to nominate State representatives, which in hindsight appears a little risky now. Most of us being perfect strangers to each other prior to the organization of NSUJL. We instantly banded together as Sisters by the family association of the Brotherhood. Back then, donations to families consisted of officers, directors and members donating from their own pockets. Sending a $300 check to a family seemed like the most amazing thing we could ever do. Little did we know, things were about to change, and drastically.

Learn more about the NSUJL or donate at https://nsujl.org/