Grants for Manufacturing Camps

On any given weekday this summer, FMA Foundation manufacturing camps around the country are introducing teens to the joys of tinkering. In challenging, hands-on projects, they make their first attempts at welding and fabricating, designing with CAD, and using robotics and laser technology -- and, in the process, discover the solid values of putting your hand to something useful and taking pride in a job well done. This introduction to the high-tech wonders of manufacturing inspires the kind of "AHA!" moments that influence lives and career paths. This year, through the generosity of our donors, the Foundation funded 26 camps. Our goal is 500. Yes, our vision is ambitious -- in fact, it's nothing short of attracting and preparing the metal forming industry's future work force. And only with your gift of support can we make the future happen!

National Winners of FMA Foundation Manufacturing Camp Grants Were Announced March 13 — Go Here to See!

The FMA Foundation awarded grants ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions offering manufacturing camp experiences to kids ages 12 to 16 in summer 2008.

National grant winners were announced in a press conference March 13 at Metal Matters: The Metal Fabricator's Annual Management Summit in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Checks were presented to the winners in attendance by John Ratzenberger, author of We've Got it Made in America, and teen stock car racer Brennan Palmiter.

The FMA Foundation has teamed up with John Ratzenberger and his foundation, Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs Foundation, to encourage young people into manufacturing.

John is perhaps most well known for his role as Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. Most recently, John has become a champion for manufacturing through his television show called John Ratzenberger's Made in America. Through his show and his foundation, John honors the men and women in the United States who work with their hands and skillfully make products that are the backbone of the American economy. John is firm in his belief that manufacturing camps will help create the next generation of artisans, inventors, engineers, repairmen, and skilled workers-in short, a self-sufficient, self-sustaining society.

While John was at the 2008 Metal Matters conference to announce manufacturing camp grant winners, he appeared on the nationally syndicated TV show, The Daily Buzz, to talk about the potential shortage of skilled workers in manufacturing. Click here to view his appearance on the show.