January 05, 2024

IBEW Local 98 and Building Trades announce The Superhero Project as charity partner for 2024 All Star Labor Classic

The Philly-based non-profit helps families stay connected with premature babies in the NICU

By Mark Lynch, Jr., Business Manager, IBEW Local 98

Limited - Building Trades - Kelly and Ryan Ross

Provided Courtesy/IBEW Local 98

Proud parents, Kelly and Ryan Ross, with their three children (left to right) Cole, Lacey and Miles.

I am proud to serve on the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, led by my friend, Ryan N. Boyer.

This year, we have designated a new charity recipient for sponsorship proceeds from our annual All Star Labor Classic, the Trades’ largest annual fundraiser that showcases the region’s best male and female high school basketball players.

Mark Lynch, Jr., Business Manager, IBEW Local 98

Our new charity partner for 2024 is The Superhero Project, which purchases and places “Angel Eye Cameras” into Neonatal Intensive Care Unit cribs that allows parents and their families to see their premature infant children on their cell phones when they are unable to be at their child’s bedside in the hospital.

That connection to their babies - even though it’s through a camera lens - is vitally important to the mental and emotional well-being of the parents. The Superhero Project started in Philadelphia in 2015, but has since grown to have a presence in eight states.

All of us in the Philadelphia Building Trades had a very personal reason for wanting to adopt The Superhero Project as our new charity partner. The Building Trades’ Office Manager, Kelly Ross and her husband, Ryan, residents of Northeast Philadelphia, are parents of three prematurely born children, eldest daughter Lacey (3) and twin boys, Miles and Cole (1) who were born in 2022 at just 29 weeks gestation.

Ryan N. Boyer, Business Manager, Philadelphia Building Trades

The boys were severely underweight and had to spend 54 long days in the Holy Redeemer Hospital NICU. The “Angel Eye Camera” in the twin boys’ cribs, generously provided by The Superhero Project, enabled Kelly and Ryan Ross to see and feel connected to their twin boys when they weren’t physically able to be with them in the hospital.

The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council has set a fundraising goal of $200,000 for the 2024 All Star Labor Classic, which would be the largest charitable donation the Superhero Project has ever received. This year’s showcase of the region’s best high school basketball players will be played on Sunday, April 14th at Holy Family University in Northeast Philadelphia.

There are many wonderful event sponsorship opportunities available now. To learn more, drop an email to laborclassic@gmail.com. You can also visit the event website at www.allstarlaborclassic.com.

Mark Lynch, Jr., Business Manager, IBEW Local 98