Non-Profit To Help Students Interested In Trades With Grant Money

MVP Legacy Foundation

May 3rd, 2023

Oskaloosa, Iowa – With a shortage of individuals in the building trades, an effort has been underway to help students enter those professions.

Michelle Purdum and her father, Mike Vogt, started MVP Legacy Foundation in the fall of 2022. Mike Vogt has been in the trades for many years, while Michelle owns Legacy Real Estate in Oskaloosa.

“We are very passionate about growing the building trades and supporting the youth that are wanting to go into building trades,” explained Purdum, who says they also support other trades outside of construction, such as welding and diesel mechanics.

Purdum added that scholarships and/or grants for those interested in joining those professions can be limited, and the foundation is looking to help.

“We really want to support our local students and also support the need for the trades industry. The numbers are going down because of the population that’s retiring; we need the numbers to backfill,” says Purdum.

“This is our first year, so we will give out one $1,000 grant and four $500 grants to high school seniors graduating this year,” says Purdum.

“It’s really exciting because we want people to understand, we want kids to understand, you don’t have to go to four years of college and rack up a bunch of debt to have a really good paying job and support your local communities,” added Purdum.

Those first awards will be handed out on May 17th, 2023, at the George Daily Auditorium during Academic Awards Night.

To learn more about the foundation and how you can apply for a grant in the future, visit their website https://www.supportbuildingtrades.com/ or on Facebook by clicking the link HERE.