Samuel Staten, Sr. Charitable Trust

The Samuel Staten, Sr. Charitable Trust raises funds to assist charitable organizations that provide services to the needy in the five county area of Philadelphia. The Samuel Staten, Sr. Charitable Trust (formerly Laborers’ District Council Charity Fund of the Metropolitan area of Philadelphia and Vicinity) has been helping members and their families and the community enjoy a better standard of living by providing jobs and benefits since their charter in 1937. The Samuel Staten, Sr. Charitable Trust believes in the principles that unionism was founded on: a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and worker’s rights. The Trust also believes that next-generation unionism must vigorously pursue workers’ rights based on management and union cooperation and the advancement of member education. The Qaid Staten Memorial Scholarship Fund is specifically designated to assist qualified students in their educational endeavors by providing educational scholarships to students in need. The Qaid Staten Memorial Charity Fund was established after a Perry N. Blackman (long time union auditor and coordinator of the annual fundraising golf events) and his family generously made a donation in memory of Qa’id Staten to an educational institution of Qa’id’s father, Samuel Staten, Sr.’s choice. Mr. Staten chose to instead use the generous contribution to establish the Qaid Staten Memorial Charity Fund, a charity fund within the Samuel Staten, Sr. Charitable Trust (formerly the Laborers’ District Council Charity Fund), with the mission of enabling disadvantaged, deserving students to seek higher education and perpetuate Qa’id’s legacy. Qa’id Staten, the youngest son of Samuel Staten, Sr, Business Manager Laborers’ Local 332, was murdered just months before he was to attend Howard University. In his memory, The Qaid Staten Memorial Scholarship Fund’s mission is to work to help defray the costs of tuition, books and housing.