Focus

The National Roofing Foundation (NRF) is well-known for funding research and educational programs to improve the roofing industry. However, did you know NRF earmarks money every year for academic scholarships for students who are employees, immediate family members of employees or immediate family members of NRCA contractor members?

Scholarships of $1,000 are awarded for a maximum of four years of undergraduate study. High-school seniors or graduates who plan to enroll or students who currently are enrolled in a full-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school are eligible. Scholarships are renewable upon the maintenance of an annual grade point average of C+ (or equivalent) or better.

For the 2003-04 academic year, NRF awarded three new scholarships and renewed nine scholarships. (Recipients' names can be found in "Briefings," page 42.) But few students are taking advantage of this scholarship opportunity.

"Although NRF's scholarships are highly competitive, I continue to be surprised by the relatively low number of applicants," says Chris Seidel, NRF's executive director. "This past year, only 113 applications were submitted. NRCA's contractor-member base is about 3,500. Given that, I would expect substantially more submissions."

Although recipients may not be seeking careers in the roofing industry, NRF's trustees created the scholarships to assist roofing contractors and their employees in efforts to educate their families regardless of courses of study.

Seidel says: "NRF wants to honor the hard, honest work and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of roofing contractors. Although other NRF programs address, encourage and promote roofing careers, that is neither the focus nor objective of the scholarship program."

I encourage NRCA members to share this information about available scholarships with their employees and family members. The deadline for the 2004-05 academic year is Jan. 31, 2004. For information about the scholarships and scholarship applications, click here. To contact Seidel, call (847) 299-9070, Ext. 7564, or e-mail cseidel@nrca.net. To make a donation to the scholarship fund, mail a check payable to NRF to 10255 W. Higgins Road, Suite 600, Rosemont, IL 60018 or call Seidel. Donations are tax-deductible as provided by law.

Ambika Puniani is editor of Professional Roofing magazine and NRCA's director of communications.