Empowering the industry leaders of tomorrow

By Emma Peterson. 

Every year, the Davis Memorial Foundation gives $50,000 in scholarships to support the future of the industry. 

In an episode of Roofing Road Trips™,  Chuck Chapman spoke to host Heidi J. Ellsworth about the history of the Davis Memorial Foundation and how people can get involved with it today. This foundation was formed by the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) back in 1996. Chuck, a trustee of the foundation, explained, “It was named after Larry and Mary Davis. Larry was a board member, and unfortunately passed away in a small plane crash on the way home from a Western States meeting.” 

Over the years, this foundation has given out over $750,000 worth of scholarships to 170 recipients. In the past year alone, they gave out 10 scholarships worth $5,000 each. Heidi, who is also a trustee of the foundation, reminisced about the impact of these scholarships with Chuck, “One of my favorite stories is a couple of years back when we were able to give a scholarship to a young lady who was going into welding.” She explained that she realized how much good the scholarship could do when she watched this young lady accept the scholarship on stage with her grandfather watching.  

Chuck echoed her sentiments, “I think that's the thing that never ceases to surprise me, is that every single person that gets one, even though they might or might not be able to attend in person, they are all also grateful.” Chuck, Heidi and the entire Davis Memorial Foundation have seen firsthand and know how meaningful $5,000 is and are happy to see it invested in their community’s future. 

The process to getting to that stage and that $5,000 begins with an application. Chuck elaborated, “Applications come out usually right around the first of the year. We advertise thoroughly throughout the entire Western region through various publications, email blasts and blogs.” This last year they received 67 different applications that are reviewed by hand. Chuck emphasized that they want a variety of applicants, “Whether it's a university, a college, a community college or vo-tech, we want to help.” The deadline for applications is usually in the third week of April and winners are contacted near the end of May.  

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode to learn more about the Davis Memorial Foundation and scholarships in the industry.