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On March 26, 2026, Local 105 (Southern California) SMART Army Coordinator and Organizer Eric Farrar was honored with the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez of Council District 25.

Farrar received this recognition for his years of dedication to building and leading the SMART Army, organizing impactful community efforts that truly make a difference. His work includes coordinating food packing events supporting Shepherd’s Pantry during Thanksgiving, setting up donation drives for families affected by the Eaton Fire and contributing to the decoration of floats for the iconic Rose Parade.

Pictured: Farrar, second from right, with (L-R) Local 105 Business Manager/President Al Hernandez, Calif. State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez and Local 105 Political Director Fernando Ochoa 

Most recently, Farrar played a key role in helping SMART Local 105 become a presenting sponsor of the Glendora Memorial Day 5K, giving back to the very school district where the local is headquartered.

Brother Farrar’s efforts highlight the local’s commitment to supporting and uplifting the community, and the SGV Volunteer of the Year award is a testament to his leadership, service and the positive impact of union solidarity in action. Great work, brother!

What does union solidarity mean?

For SMART members, solidarity means action — from the jobsite, to the cab of a locomotive, to city council meetings, to marches, rallies and well beyond. And on March 13 in Detroit, it meant taking on harsh conditions to make life better for area students: Local 80 staff and nine members volunteered to help clean up a local park ahead of the annual Detroit St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The week prior, Local 80 Wayne County Business Agent Scott Lewis connected with leadership at Maybury Elementary School, asking where and how the school most needed help. In response, the school made a simple request: help cleaning the adjacent Murphy Park to ensure it was safe and welcoming for students to enjoy during recess and after school.

Local 80 answered the call.

Although the days leading up to the cleanup brought mild weather, conditions took a sharp turn the day of — dropping to 15 degrees with 40 mile-per-hour winds and scattered snow showers. But that didn’t stop Local 80. In a true demonstration of what solidarity means, the members took on the weather, working diligently to restore the park.

That effort made a real impact. Through their hard work, the Local 80 volunteers helped create a cleaner, safer and more inviting environment not only for the students of Maybury Elementary, but also the surrounding Detroit community.

SMART Army: Building Better Communities.

Each year, Special Olympics Kentucky hosts the Big Brown Truck Pull to raise money for local athletes. Teams of 15 take turns pulling an 18-wheeler UPS cargo truck 12 feet; the teams with the fastest pull times win trophies in dif­ferent categories, with awards also given for fundraising, team spirit and more.

SMART Local 110 showed up in force for the Paducah event, taking third place in the pull and second place in most money raised. Together with other teams and participants, SMART members helped provide funding for Special Olympics athletes to compete in basketball, bowling, softball, cheer leading and track and field year-round on the local, regional and state level, traveling to tourna­ments in Bowling Green, Richmond and Louisville.

That’s what our union stands for. Great work, Local 110!

The Saturday before Easter, Local 17 apprentice Lei­ara Gonzalez-Guerra spearheaded a SMART Army event with fellow members and local officers to deliver food from a local food bank to homebound seniors in Brockton, Mass. That’s solidarity in action — great work, sister!

In collaboration with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), members of SMART Local 100 donated their time and labor to build two brand-new pavilions from scratch at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation in Whiteford, Md. — helping provide necessary structures for the area outdoor youth center.  

“We really appreciate the partnership with Local 100, in conjunction with USA, for coming out and being part of this project,” said Manuel Fonseca, deputy scout executive & COO, Baltimore Area Council, Scouting America. “Having two additional structures for staff and campers is much needed and much appreciated. Scouting is all about safety — along with utilizing them for social activities, having these two new pavilions will provide another option for shelter.” 

Each year, more than 23,000 youth visit Broad Creek to participate in activities designed to foster youth development, adventure and team building in the great outdoors. Located just over 40 miles from Baltimore, Broad Creek is the fifth-largest block of undeveloped land in the traditional Baltimore metropolitan area, with 1,624 of the reservation’s 1,676 acres permanently protected under a combination of county, state and federal conservation easements. The campsite offers programming to kids across the area — and staff saw the need for an additional two pavilions to provide places for campers and staff to gather, eat, socialize and potentially take shelter during inclement weather. 

That’s where the union volunteers entered the picture. Both USA and Local 100 share the values of solidarity and ensuring young people have access to the great outdoors — for that reason, it was an easy decision for both organizations to come together and build the two pavilions, lifting the burden off Broad Creek’s shoulders.  

The Local 100 volunteers took just four days to build the two pavilions essentially from scratch: Besides raw materials and poured concrete, the sheet metal workers and Broad Creek staff assembled every part of the completed structures.  

The end result? A demonstration not just of union craftsmanship and efficiency, but of SMART’s principles as well.  

“We look forward to many years of future projects with Local 100 and USA,” Fonseca concluded. 

Members who participated: Apprentices Nicholas Ray, Andre Matthews, Erick D. Rosa Pineda, Nigel Mills, Gary Plumley Jr. and Zachary A. Evans, plus Organizers Latauna Bigelow and Lester Larios. 

In collaboration with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), members of SMART Local 100 donated their time and labor to build two brand-new pavilions from scratch at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation in Whiteford, Md. — helping provide necessary structures for the area outdoor youth center.  

“We really appreciate the partnership with Local 100, in conjunction with USA, for coming out and being part of this project,” said Manuel Fonseca, deputy scout executive & COO, Baltimore Area Council, Scouting America. “Having two additional structures for staff and campers is much needed and much appreciated. Scouting is all about safety — along with utilizing them for social activities, having these two new pavilions will provide another option for shelter.” 

Each year, more than 23,000 youth visit Broad Creek to participate in activities designed to foster youth development, adventure and team building in the great outdoors. Located just over 40 miles from Baltimore, Broad Creek is the fifth-largest block of undeveloped land in the traditional Baltimore metropolitan area, with 1,624 of the reservation’s 1,676 acres permanently protected under a combination of county, state and federal conservation easements. The campsite offers programming to kids across the area — and staff saw the need for an additional two pavilions to provide places for campers and staff to gather, eat, socialize and potentially take shelter during inclement weather. 

That’s where the union volunteers entered the picture. Both USA and Local 100 share the values of solidarity and ensuring young people have access to the great outdoors — for that reason, it was an easy decision for both organizations to come together and build the two pavilions, lifting the burden off Broad Creek’s shoulders.  

The Local 100 volunteers took just four days to build the two pavilions essentially from scratch: Besides raw materials and poured concrete, the sheet metal workers and Broad Creek staff assembled every part of the completed structures.  

The end result? A demonstration not just of union craftsmanship and efficiency, but of SMART’s principles as well.  

“We look forward to many years of future projects with Local 100 and USA,” Fonseca concluded. 

Members who participated: Apprentices Nicholas Ray, Andre Matthews, Erick D. Rosa Pineda, Nigel Mills, Gary Plumley Jr. and Zachary A. Evans, plus Organizers Latauna Bigelow and Lester Larios. 

With the full-fledged support of SMART Local 18 (Wisconsin) members, signatory mechanical contractor JM Brennan recently raised more than $20,000 for local children with physical disabilities — putting the principles of our union into practice.

The effort started in 2022, when operations staff at JM Brennan — which is based in Milwaukee and Madison — started brainstorming ways to reinvigorate the company’s motorcycle poker run, at that point dormant for many years.

“The initial intent was to have this event and bring employees and vendors together,” the contractor wrote. “It turned out to be much more.”

Staff researched local charities, searching for an initiative that would benefit from the motorcycle run, and ultimately selected the Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee’s Go Baby Go! program. Go Baby Go!, designed to help kids with physical disabilities, allows young children to gain more independent mobility via custom motorized cars.

 “Each car is uniquely designed and fitted for the specific child, allowing them the maximum benefit and experience of motion,” JM Brennan explained. “This is important as wheelchairs will either not work, or will not fit them due to their specific disability.”

In 2022, the event brought 75 riders together to raise $6,000. One year later, with 90 riders participating and additional sponsors, the event raised $12,000. And in 2024, 17 sponsors, 110 riders and 20 volunteers raised $22,000 — which translates into 36 motorized cars for the kids who need them.

A recipient family attended the 2024 ride. Laurie and her son, Emmet, told participants face-to-face just how important Go Baby Go! has been to their family.

“Laurie indicated that the freedom of motion cannot be understated, or even appreciated — and the joy that he experiences,” JM Brennan wrote. “Just like motorcycles bring elation and freedom to riders, Emmet’s car draws a suitable parallel.”

“A notable and profound thank you to Local 18, Steuart Wilson and Craig Wagner, who have been supportive and instrumental from day one,” the contractor concluded.