The American Welding Society (www.aws.org) and the AWS Foundation have established the largest original section-endowed scholarship in the society's history.

The Santa Clara Valley Section of the AWS has provided a $60,000 endowment for the Lou DeFreitas scholarship fund that will enable the AWS Foundation to award $3,000 in scholarships to welding students on an annual basis.

The AWS Foundation, which provides funding to students and supports programs to strengthen research and educational opportunities in welding and related fields, will grant annual awards from the Lou DeFreitas-Santa Clara Valley Section Scholarship to students

in the Santa Clara Valley Section. While the AWS Foundation will administer the scholarship fund, the Santa Clara Valley Section is responsible for the awards process, including setting the criteria for the grants and selecting the awardees.

Besides administering scholarships, the AWS Foundation embarked on a $10 million national capital campaign, "Welding for the Strength of America," to facilitate programs and other initiatives aimed at relieving the nationwide shortage of welders. At the end of 2006, the foundation had raised $1.6 million through contributions from its initial donors, Ron and Joyce Pierce, Miller Electric Co. and Hobart Brothers.