In the summer of 2018, MITA was approached by the Dave Fons Memorial Fund to establish a name scholarship that will be distributed annually through the MITA Scholarship Fund. MITA is pleased to announce that the pursuit of this scholarship will be open to all potential applicants looking to foster a career in the heavy/highway construction industry.
Dave Fons tragically passed away in December of 2017. Dave truly loved his work and the time he spent in the industry. He was an active member of the road construction business for a long time, particularly as an MRBA (Michigan Road Builders Association) and AUC (Associated Underground Contractors) member and then as a MITA member. His passion never ceased, even after he became a business owner in 1978 and ran Fonson, Inc. until 2014.
In Dave’s memory, the Dave Fons Memorial Fund for the Advocacy of Truck Safety was established. It is an honor for MITA to be asked to work with the Dave Fons Memorial Fund to establish the named scholarship, which we hope will draw even more qualified candidates to apply for MITA scholarships than we have seen in the first three years of the program.
The Dave Fons Memorial Fund donation will be a $4,000 annual contribution to the fund, which will then be awarded to an individual as a one-time scholarship or broken into multiple scholarships over the four years of their college/trade school education. The Board of Directors will make a determination prior to the start of the recipient’s higher education.
In the spirit of fostering a collaborative approach to providing scholarships to the next generation, as well as in an effort to pay respectful tribute to the memories of those who are no longer with us, MITA would like to offer all member companies the opportunity to partner with us in establishing named scholarships.
If this is something that your company is seriously considering, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mariam Robinson, Director of Strategic Affairs, at mariamrobinson@thinkmita.org. The MITA Scholarship Fund accepts donations and contributions on a rolling basis and will begin to accept scholarship applications for the 2019-2020 school year in January. Scholarship details are always available on the MITA website at www.thinkmita.org.
