What youngster hasn’t had a thought or two about being a firefighter? And in a world where role models are sometimes hard to find, what kid doesn’t look up to the men and women who put their lives on the line, almost every day?

Recently in Erie, Pa., members of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 293 and Engine 8, 4th Platoon of the Erie Fire Department, hosted an open house for several dozen grade school students.

In case you missed it, "A Wider World," a PBS TV show, is replaying a segment highlighting the work of union volunteers and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan on the Ray West Memorial Ramp Project. 

Check out the video above, and check your local PBS listings for times the segment will air in your area. 

"A Wider World" focuses on inspirational tales, stigma busting, cutting-edge treatment options and assisting technology, veterans issues, sports and other stories that celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and the abilities of all.

Union members are working to keep area residents warm this winter with Brown County United Way and the Greater Green Bay Labor Council Community Services Committee. The two groups are hosting the second annual Blanketing Brown County drive, collecting new and gently used blankets for distribution to area shelters and agencies. Blanketing Brown County begins today and continues through Jan. 29.

New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech and New Jersey State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan send us this update on Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. 

The UAW in Atlantic City has thousands of members who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. In addition to sustaining major property losses, our brothers and sisters have had their hours cut because of the devastation to the casino industry. The critical message to our members is that they are not in this alone. Various recovery resources are available, and we will do everything to get them the help they need as soon as possible.

More than 10,000 Angelenos, including members of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor’s “Team Homeless Heroes,” took part in the United Way’s 2012 HomeWalk 5K Run/Walk Nov. 17 to raise funds to combat homelessness in the Los Angeles area. The more than 500 members of Team Homeless Heroes are from Los Angeles unions and the team is organized by the L.A. Fed’s AFL-CIO Community Services/United Way partnership. It focuses on the men and women who served our country and who are now facing homelessness. 

While the election and other stories have taken Superstorm Sandy out of the headlines, millions of Americans who were in the storm's path are still in need of assistance. Don't let the the short attention span of the news cycle delay necessary aid to those whose lives have been permanently altered.

If you live in the Palm Beach, Fla., Treasure Coast area and want to help make Thanksgiving happen for families who might need a boost, you can join the Big Heart Brigade’s Thanksgiving Feast, 2012. Supported by the United Way of Palm Beach County Partnership, which includes the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO, the Big Heart Brigade is looking for 4,000 volunteers who can help prepare, cook, package and distribute the nearly 100,000 meals for the homeless and disadvantaged.

Toledo union members pitched in during United Way's Week of Caring to help build a home for a local family. Volunteers, including members of UAW Local 14 and AFSCME Local 544, along with AFL-CIO Labor Community Services liaisons Micheal Alexander and Laura Harrison, joined Habitat for Humanity on the project.

Volunteers, organized through United Way of Greater Toledo, helped install siding on the house. The entire project will take several months to complete. 

See more photos from the United Way of Greater Toledo's Week of Caring 2012.  

We're kicking off the Labor Day weekend with a very special "thank you" message from United Way President and CEO Brian Gallagher, to a union member who changed his life. Watch the YouTube video in the post. Gallagher also thanked all the union members and affiliates of the AFL-CIO for their community service efforts across the country. 

Don't forget to send your own video or free e-card to someone whose work you appreciate at www.aflcio.org/ThankYou. 

Mei Cobb, vice president of volunteer & employee engagement at United Way Worldwide, sends us this.

In the United States, we celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September to recognize the economic and social contributions of working men and women. This Labor Day, I’d like to recognize two groups of union members who are volunteering in support of United Way initiatives.