Tammy Renzaglia attended the Women of Steel conference in 2010 and returned to her workplace at Arcelor Mittal in Minnesota energized and with a goal of stepping up in a major way.
“I came back and asked our local union president how far our local group could go with our activities and volunteering,” Tammy said. “His response was, ‘Your opportunities are endless.’”
That was all it took to get the Local 6115 Women of Steel motivated to do what they could for their fellow union members as well as their community.
Tammy was recognized with a Jefferson Award last Wednesday, at a ceremony held for district winners at the Steelworkers International Executive Board Meeting.
For Tammy and her co-workers, breast and prostate cancer was the cause they all seemed to be drawn to. So many of them had lost close friends and family members to the diseases, and they wanted to honor these friends, and everyone else in the fight, by throwing themselves into fundraising.
Within just five short years, Tammy and her small, but committed, Women of Steel group have raised over $70,000 for organizations such as The Hope Fund, The Liz Prebich Foundation, and The Care Partners. Year after year, they coordinate barbecues, walks, a Bowl for the Cure event, and so much more, all to raise money for cancer patients to help offset their expenses during treatment.
“I could not be prouder of each person's countless volunteer hours to help make a positive impact on people's lives in our Northern Minnesota community,” Tammy said.
