MAPE locals celebrate the holidays with gatherings, giving back

It’s the time of year for holiday gatherings – and many MAPE locals are not missing the opportunity to host festive, fun and sometimes family-friendly events for their members.  

Duluth-area members celebrated last week with a holiday gathering featuring one of the most recognizable characters of the season – Santa! Local 1402 President Ariel Johnson said events like this help create opportunities for interaction within our union community. 

“This holiday party was a way to thank members for their continued support of our union and to provide a relaxing evening for folks to get to know one another better,” Johnson said. “It was so wonderful to see people chatting while children ran around playing together or seeing people gather around Santa for story time.” 

Longtime MAPE member Jamie Juenemann played the bearded celebrity, delighting children and colleagues alike.  

“I’ve never played Santa before and when I was asked, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I didn’t think I was Santa material – not old enough, not round enough, not gray enough - but then the idea grew on me,” Juenemann said. “Being Santa is an honor that comes with a lot of responsibility. To kids, you are Santa, so you really must play the part. It’s a larger-than-life role and every move you make is watched carefully by all the kids, and some adults, in the room.” 

Johnson extended gratitude to Norie Yunk for tracking down a location for and organizing the event and to Juenemann for being an “incredible” Santa, “It seems like he's found his after-retirement calling!" 

Not to be outdone by MAPE Santa, Local 1101 kept its tradition alive with their in-person holiday meeting last week, too. With a focus on giving back, members donated unwrapped presents for Gifts for Seniors, which has been an annual tradition for many years, and donated money to the organization as well. Statewide Vice President Angie Halseth attended, door prizes in hand, and was thrilled to see another successful event in her local bringing members together.  

“I was super impressed with the meeting's organization, attendance and content,” Halseth said. She also recognized the local’s former membership secretary, Rob Hobson, who is now moving on to a seat on MAPE’s Organizing Council. 

“The role as membership secretary has meant a lot to me. This role has allowed me to be a pivotal part of continuing to build our membership,” Hobson said. “I am excited about how much I can continue to help with building our membership through the Organizing Council.” 

Like Halseth, Hobson was not surprised to see their local stepping up, together, this holiday season, “There is something to be said that we not only were able to celebrate the holidays together, but our members also gave back so much more! I expect nothing less from our members and am grateful for all our members were able to contribute. Giving back is part of the holidays!” 

Local 701 members also had the opportunity to support people with life-threatening illnesses by volunteering at Open Arms of Minnesota. Members helped pack 208 tuna casseroles, 432 jerk chicken and 151 beef meatball meals at the St. Paul kitchen last night. This was Local 701’s second volunteer engagement this year and members are planning to do more in 2025.  

If your local has an upcoming event planned, we want to know! Please upload photos to our Dropbox account and send details to cisaacson@mape.org so we can post on social.