LAS VEGAS — The University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF), a not-for-profit organization that provides millions of dollars of scholarships, grants, research and ongoing educational programs to support that automotive aftermarket workforce, has launched a planned giving program called "Legacy Club."
The new program — with a dedicated website, uofa-foundation.org — is geared to make scholarship applications, and donations, easier.
"If you know someone who is interested in a career in the automotive aftermarket, it is well worth their time, and yours, to visit the attractive new UAF website and apply for one of the many scholarships the foundation has to offer," UAF Chairman Bob Egan said.
"For those who have made their careers in our industry, donating to the University of the Aftermarket Foundation is a great way to give back and the new website makes it easy to do."
The mobile-ready UAF website features a portal for students to apply for hundreds of automotive scholarships, a simple-to-use donation system, updated lists of trustees, donors and scholarship recipients, as well as information about the foundation, including news, grant applications and other resources.
The foundation's former web address, UofAFoundation.com, will redirect visitors to the new UofA-Foundation.org site.
The Legacy Club program encourages donors to make charitable bequests in their wills, a life-income gift or gifts of appreciated stock, retirement assets or life insurance policies.
The UAF awarded 415 scholarships in 2019 valued at $574,600, a 28% increase over 2018.
Nearly two-thirds of the scholarships were awarded to students training to become technicians — 124 to mechanical technician students, seven to collision repair students and 26 to diesel/heavy-duty technician students.
Other recipients are studying business/marketing, engineering or other careers.
Mr. Eagan said the UAF periodically surveys past scholarship winners to learn what careers they pursued after college and about 85% of the respondents are working in the automotive aftermarket in some capacity.
For 2020 the UAF said it is planning ways to increase the number of scholarship applications and donations.
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is printing scholarship posters to encourage students to apply and distributing them to 2,000-plus ASE-certified auto, collision and HD vocational schools, the UAF said.