by Leslie Finnigan, SR/WA, Vice President, Right of Way Education Foundation (RWIEF)

I want to start off this article with a big thank you to Chapter 3 members who donated money to purchase a fabulous auction item for the RWIEF Handbid Auction. Chapter 3 purchased a case of wine from Anne Amie Vineyard in Carlton and put it in the auction. The winning bid was $525, well over the purchase price. The auction made over $17,000 this year after expenses.

I also want to Congratulate Carol Hager for being one of 20 scholarship winners that was just announced. The Foundation funded $92,500 for 20 scholarships to be used for furthering education for members seeking certification. This is the second such scholarship, though the first one was for 40 scholarships to the tune of $185,000. It was interesting that IRWA had to extend the time for submittal because there were not enough applicants. These scholarships give the winner $4,625 to be used for achieving right of way certification.

I always find it difficult to start an article, and then try not to get on a soap box as I run on and on. I volunteered to write this article to let you know a little more about what the Right of Way Education Foundation’s purpose is and to bring you up to speed on some of the good things we are accomplishing and plan to accomplish.

The mission of the Right of Way International Education Foundation is to continue to work diligently and creatively to obtain and maintain the funds needed to support the initiatives that expand the level of education for right of way professionals.

So, what is the RWIEF? The RWIEF (Foundation) is a separate entity from the IRWA, RWIEF acts as a fund-raising partner for right of way education. IRWA staff, through input from their members, develop and manage education programing, while the Foundation provides funding for education programs and industry scholarships.

Chapters, individual members, businesses, and fundraising activities are how we obtain the funds to go toward education initiatives and scholarships. The IRWA Education Conference has played a big role in our fundraising activities. If you have attended the International Conference you are probably aware of some of the activities for fundraising, such as donations at the Board of Director’s Meeting, the Monday Night Event, the Auction, the Golf Tournament and the 50/50 draw. All of these are activities that bring money to the Foundation to use for further improvement in our education program. Outside of the Conference, the Foundation gets donations when members pay their association dues and check the box to send to a small portion of the dues to the Foundation. We are always happy to accept donations and appreciate member support.

So how are some of ways the Foundation spends your money, (remember it is the members’ money). To start with we have several scholarship programs. The Foundation awards $500 scholarships to Region Professionals of the Year each year to be used toward IRWA courses or a conference registration. We also funded the 40 for 40 Scholarships in 2017 and this year the 20/20 Scholarships.

The Foundation also funds different education initiatives that are presented and have merit. The most recent initiative to improve the online course. Eighteen courses are being updated and the latest contact from headquarters is that they are ahead of schedule to get this done before the end of the year. Over the years the Foundation has funded new courses, and updates to existing courses. We are always open to proposals that advance education in our association.

Again, I want to thank Chapter 3 for their continued support of the RWIEF. The contributions the chapter has made in past years and most recently money and the case of wine for the auction are very supportive. I hope that the next time there is a scholarship opportunity that there are a lot of applications from Chapter 3.