Happy New Year everyone. Here’s to growth and success in all we do in 2020. Although I have served my 4 years as president, I have a few things to talk about and Sheri told me she would make it happen. One of my prime goals is to find ways to continue funding scholarships for students, current technicians, and managers. These are close to my heart as Dave DeCourcey, Harvey Chan, and Ed Schaeffer were all good friends, and I feel it is not only appropriate, but necessary, to honor their memories with scholarships. In addition, I have followed the careers of several of our previous student scholarship recipients and am overjoyed by the success that many of them have experienced. This is the reason we created the Technicians of Tomorrow Educational Foundation (TTEF). Our eventual goal is to have several self-sustaining scholarships funded by you. Typically, $20,000 to $25,000 is needed to endow a scholarship that pays out $1,000 every year, so you can see that we will need to raise the stakes if we want to continue awarding four $1000 student scholarships, the Ed Schaeffer Memorial Scholarship, the Dave DeCourcey Scholarship, and the Harvey Chan Memorial Scholarship each year.
The TTEF is a 501(c)(3) organization, so any contributions should be tax deductible. I urge you to write a check to TTEF for whatever amount you can afford (and a little more). We also have the silent auction in cooperation with VISION, so if you have an item that may have value to anyone else, please donate it to the silent auction to benefit the scholarship fund.
I mentioned an endowment above, and that is a fantastic method of funding the foundation. If you would like to have one of our student scholarships sponsored by your company, you can send a check for $1,000 and note that you would like to help present the “XYZ Company TTEF Scholarship” at our Celebration of Independents on Saturday evening of VISION. If you send a check for $20,000 made out to TTEF, we’ll let you help present the award for several years!
Our industry needs young people that want to be in the auto repair business, and this is one of the best ways for you to help get some people in the door. Please consider writing a check to TTEF for $1,000 or $20,000 or whatever amount you can contribute. Also, make a donation to the silent auction. You’ll actually be helping to solve the technician shortage and you will feel good about helping your industry by helping attract more competent people into the schools and shops.
Thank You,
Past President of MWACA
Owner of S&S Service Center
