For Saint John, New Bruns-wick, Local 502 member Eamon Clarke, Brotherhood isn't just about contracts or wage increases. It's also about building stronger bonds with the community and extending a helping hand to those in need—both inside and outside of the workplace.

Last summer, Clarke, an electrician with Jacobs Industrial at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John, found out that the grandson of one of his co-workers was battling a life-threatening illness.

"I talked with members Kim Robinson and Howie Sherman about it, and we knew we should do something for this little boy and his family," said Clarke, who helps run an informal workplace committee called the Electrical Union Assistance Fund, which raises money for community and charitable causes.

Like many Canadian boys his age, 11-year-old Braden Gendron loves hockey, but he has never been on the ice in his life. He suffers from pulmonary hypertension, which impairs the ability of the heart to pump blood through the lungs—making even the slightest physical exertion exhaustive and potentially deadly.

And there is only one known cure—a new set of lungs.

Braden's grandfather wasn't an IBEW member, but that didn't stop Clarke and his brothers from seeing what they could do to help.

After he was put on a waiting list for a lung transplant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto late last summer, Braden and his family—including his two younger brothers—had to move to the city to be close to the medical facility.

It was a tough transition, but Braden's parents, Dan and Jennifer, weren't looking for charity and turned down the local's offer to donate the proceeds from their weekly raffle to help with moving costs.

But the local still wanted to do something to help ease the stresses faced by the family.

Local 502 Organizer Dave Stephen put out the word to members of Toronto Local 353 that Braden was a huge hockey fan and that he would love nothing more than to see a Maple Leafs game during his stay in the city.

Getting Leafs tickets isn't easy, but IBEW First District Political Action/ Media Strategist Barry Stevens, who happened to be in Quebec for a pension plan meeting at the time, was able to snag some with a little help from Local 353's actuary.

They were hot ones too—a preseason game against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. And they were box seats, which came complete with dinner and a personal visit from the Leafs' mascot—Carlton the Bear.

"The staff went out of their way to treat the family like VIPs," Stevens said. "We couldn't give Braden a new set of lungs, but we could at least give his family a nice night out and memories they would always cherish."

Braden and his brothers were having the time of their lives when, in the middle of the first period, their father received an unexpected but very welcome call.

"Dan got very excited, and it turns out it was Sick Kids," said Local 353 member Craig Swinnerton, who accompanied the family to the game. "A lung transplant had become available and the doctors were ready to operate."

Braden was less enthused by the news, preferring to stay for the end of the game, said Swinnerton, who helps coordinate community relations for the Local. But his parents finally managed to persuade him to head over to the hospital.

Sharry Budd, an employee in Local 353's education department, accompanied Braden and his mom to the hospital, while Swinnerton stayed with Braden's brothers and their dad.

He got the chance to say goodbye to Braden before he was anesthetized. "He was so brave," Swinnerton said. "The expression on his face—he looked like a Marine about to storm the beaches."

It's been nearly two months since the surgery, and Braden is still doing fine, Clarke said—though it will take many more months of therapy and anti-rejection drugs before the new lungs are fully accepted by Braden's immune system.

But only one month after surgery, Braden got the opportunity to do something he's always wanted to—he went ice skating.

"The guys at work couldn't be happier," Clarke said. "Our committee wishes to extend our thanks to the brothers from Local 353 and all those along the way who made this dream come true."

"The IBEW is a family," Swinnerton said. "We always extend our love to the wider community."