02/17/2020
If You Have a Moment, Could You Help Me Unload a Million Dollars?
It’s that time of year again – time for the mikeroweWORKS foundation to offer work ethic scholarships to people who wish to learn a skill that’s in demand. This year, as in years past, I have approximately one million dollars to distribute among qualified applicants. And this year, I’m once again struck by the difficulty of doing so.
As many of you know, my foundation is focused on closing America’s skills gap by highlighting opportunities that require specific types of training. In other words, I'm not looking for people who wish to earn a four-year degree, or individuals in pursuit of their “dream job.” With respect, I don’t care about your dreams. Nor do I care about you IQ, your test scores, your athletic prowess, your artistic ability, or any of the other things most other scholarship programs concern themselves with. I care about your attitude, your work ethic, your commitment to personal responsibility, and your desire to master a trade. I also care about $1.6 trillion dollars in student loans, the cost of a four-year degree, and our stubborn insistence that a university education is the best path for the most people.
To say it another way, mikeroweWORKS does not discriminate on the basis of race or gender, but we are most assuredly discriminating. We aren't trying to assist the most people possible. We are instead, trying to help those who can make a persuasive case for themselves, while pursing opportunities that actually exist. If you, or someone you know fits the bill, consider yourself invited to apply today. Mikeroweworks.org/scholarship.
As for the million dollars, it was once again raised from the incredibly generous people on this page, a series of non-traditional auctions conducted by yours truly, and a number of very supportive companies who share our commitment to closing America’s skills gap. This year, those companies include the following:
Koch Industries
Wolverine Boots & Apparel
Moen
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
Work for Piedmont
Gray & Son, Inc.
Distribution Contractors Association
Universal Technical Institute
ATI (Automotive Training Institute)
HomeServe USA
Zest Social Media Solutions
I’m grateful to everyone who has supported my foundation, and obliged to anyone who shares this post. There will be similar appeals in the coming weeks, so apologies in advance for the redundancy. But like I said, giving away a million dollars isn’t as easy as it sounds…
Thanks,
Mike
