North Carolina Woodworker Outreach Scholarship Plan

[Dee2]

Hank asked
"How do you monitor / police that the recipient moves forward?
And especially how we monitor or evaluate how this individual supports NCWW?"

Not sure there are firm answer to your questions, Hank. Here's some thoughts:
We can ask Campbell (et al.) for a report from time to time about where the scholarship grads are. Sometimes they will know. Most times, I suspect, they (Campbell, et al.) won't know. From my ECU experience, the best tool for providing answer to your first question is if both the recepient and us (individually?) friend each other on LinkedIn and they update their status from time-to-time.

Of course, if they join the forum and post, that would be best (your 2nd question). The odds might be ~1765:12,000 that we can keep up with them (recall post #15 above). I get the impression from some posts that even active members disappear for months/years at a time.

Moving forward and supporting NCWW.net are aspirational goals. If you aim for the stars and only hit the moon, we are still out of this world.

And, how many of our heirs know our passwords so they can make our final 'sign-off' thus resulting in fewer inactive members and increasing the odds we know the recipients are supporting NCWW?

 

[ScottM]

Great idea. Count me in.

 

[Phil S]

If 300 members gave $100 each we would have it.

Mike, I am in with you. Thanks for the push

 

[drw]

I'll follow with Mike and Phil.

 

[golfdad]

I think its a great idea. I also think Wiley made some very good points

 

[Stuart Kent]

Hey guys, I couldn't login for several days due to a password issue.

I strongly support this, and would like to include the North Carolina Furniture School as another option. For those not aware, we are 1 hour east of Raleigh, in Farmville, NC. We have 8 full size lathe stations, 3 table saws, 2 bandsaw stations, 2 drill press stations, 2 planers, etc... In 2021 we were proudly named as the official ShopBot training facility. We have 12 computer stations and 8 CNC machines in 3 & 4 axis configurations.

We also launched a competitive one year course of study in 2022 and currently have students in the program. It is a tuition-based full time program, designed for people interested in careers in woodworking as entrepreneurs or in advanced positions with existing firms. Students are with us 5 days a week to learn the art of furniture and cabinetmaking with focus on digital fabrication and small business development.

We also continue to offer our regular workshops that range in length from 1 - 5 days. The workshops cover all subjects ranging from hand tool woodworking to advanced digital fabrication.

I would like to have a substantive conversation about this new initiative and explore ways that we can support NCWW.

Stuart

 

[Michael Mathews]

just my 2 cents... Several years ago I attended a spoon carving class at John C Campbell Folk School. I was there all week and before the class started I already knew more than the instructor did! He didn't even seem to care that some of his students were very close to having very dangerous accidents. I was paying more attention to some of the others and stopping them from hurting themselves and showing them proper techniques while he was busy rolling his cigarettes. It was quite frustrated and I had several conversations with some of the people in charge at the school before I left.

 

[Bill J]

I thought I'd put my 2 bitcoins into this conversation. I am late to the party and may have missed some things in this long thread, but here is what I have captured:
Everyone is supportive of an NCWW grant
There is much discussion on what program should be supported
The idea of a user supported endowment seems very possible (I would also give $100).

I have worked with many granting agencies in science and helped set up a non-profit endowment in my past career. I would like to respectfully suggest that NCWW should not specify where the grant supports training other than possibly specifying it must be in NC. Put that onus on the applicant. Ask for a grant submission that specifies where the receipient would get training, why they should be supported (include financial need), and their future plans. NCWW could have a panel of respected members review the applications and make a decision. It is up to the Board to decide what level of need is required and whether the money must be spent in NC.

And. don't forget legal fees when you decide how much to raise. It's not free to set up an endowment.

 

[bbrown]

Would like to meet sometime, have lunch or dinner at my expense, and discuss woodworking, youth, education, schools, your place in Maine, etc.

Hi Mike,
Sure, I'd be happy to meet and discuss further. I work in Albemarle and drive to Lynchburg twice a month. I could stop over on one of my trips.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

To further my support of the Haywood Community College Master Crafts-Wood program:
NCWW could work with the lead instructor, Brian Wurst, to make the scholarship available only to second year students. He determine who would receive the scholarship based on their need, commitment to woodworking as a possible career path, and performance in their first year. He would tell them in no uncertain terms there is no free lunch. They would join NCWW, post photos and descriptions of their first year work, and communicate with NCWW on a regular basis on their second year progress.

By doing this the scholarship rolls over to a new recipient every year, and pretty soon NCWW has built up its following and maximized its chances of producing a lifelong participant in our passion. We also have as good a guarantee as can be had that our money is well spent.

 

[Caseykasem]

I think this is a great idea

 

[Craptastic]

$30,000 divided by 1500 is $20 each.

So if each active member donates $20 a year we could add another scholarship every year. As I said before I am willing to give $100 at least until I retire and probably after that as long as I am active. (Meaning still above the grass )

Here here! I am willing to do so too. Lately $100 is like buying a new router bit and a piece of wood to put against it.

Even better if it's directed to education and continuing woodworking skills for the up and coming generations.

Pay it forward folks. We all have had great mentors that gave way more than that value worth of their time to teach us.

 

[Craptastic]

This shouldn't be awarded by a single person IMHO.

Criteria that it's only available to 2nd year students, yes. But laying this out to be awarded by a single person is a recipe for future issues. I thought this place had a BOD? They should be the ones to award it. Brian Wurst (or whoever down the road occupies that position at Haywood CC) may make recommendations but the board of NCWW should do the awarding.

The board will always be there if the org is active and maintains. The person in the position at the school probably not.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Matt--I see your point. Recommendations to an NCWW committee seems to be a good compromise solution. My thinking was that the lead instructor knows the students better than any of us, including knowing about their personal lives. That's where the "need" factor comes in, and I've always felt scholarships should be awarded based on need.

 

[Mike Davis]

The Board of Directors of this group should choose any recipients of awards or grants.
To do otherwise would be allowing others to spend our money and we would lose all control.

 

[Mike Davis]

Maybe set a list of approved schools for the students to choose.