The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center

VDTA/SDTA honors 2009 scholarship recipients

The VDTA/SDTA is proud to announce that the 2009 VDTA/Epstein Scholarships have been awarded to Carolina Rodriguez of Hood River, OR, and Cory Carr of Jackson, NJ. These two students have demonstrated their love of sports, passion for community involvement, and strong leadership abilities.

The VDTA/Epstein Scholarship is awarded in two different categories. A top male recipient and a top female recipient were selected from all applications received. Carolina and Cory are now eligible to receive up to $10,000 over a four-year period if they meet specific academic criteria outlined by the VDTA/SDTA.

Carolina and Cory accepted their awards during the 2009 VDTA/SDTA Show in Las Vegas in March.

Congratulations Carolina and Cory!

Meet Scholar Carolina Rodriguez
Carolina Rodriguez is currently a senior at Hood River Valley High School in Hood River, OR. She is the daughter of Fernando and Maria Rodriguez. Fernando is an employee at Hood River Sewing and Vacuum, which is owned by Eileen K. Utroske.

Eileen shared this about Carolina, “I have known Carolina (Cecilia) for more than five years. She is the oldest of six children and has learned to be responsible and reliable at an early age. Cecilia has been involved in after school activities, most notably campaigns to keep teens from drugs and alcohol. Her can-do spirit and perseverance as a bi-lingual full-time high school student with after school and weekend jobs makes me confident she is willing to continue working toward furthering her education and becoming successful at whatever career she chooses.”

Carolina’s qualifications for receiving the scholarship far exceed the established criteria. She is a remarkable role model and exceptional student.

Some of the high school activities Carolina has participated in include Inspiration Circle, MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) Club, Be The Change Club, Commission on Children and Families and Teen Court. Within her community she has been very active with her church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, working with the Parish Council, assisting with church child care, and teaching Sunday School.

Carolina has also been active with Si Se Puede and the Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Prevention Coalition, helping to strategize ways to better inform her community’s youth and their parents about alcohol and drug prevention.

When looking at Carolina’s Activities Chart, Joella Dethman, director of the Hood River County Commission on Children & Families, said she sees a theme.

Joella explained, “Carolina has worked a number of jobs to help her family and pay her own expenses. She fills her free time with school and a variety of activities following a common theme: development of leadership skills so she can promote prevention and support services. Carolina is going to be successful. She has the ability, proven work ethic, and passion. She will make us all proud.”

Carolina is hoping to attend AIMS Community College in Greeley, CO.
She said, “Becoming a probation officer has always been my dream. I have been interning for the past two years in the Hood River Court House, with the Criminal Justice System. Becoming a probation officer is important to me because I want to help guide people down the right path and give them hope that it is never too late to change.”

Meet Scholar Cory Carr
Cory Carr is currently a freshman at the University of New Haven in West Haven, CT, where he is playing baseball and majoring in chemical engineering. Cory is the son of Rodney and Janet Carr, owners of Central Vacuum in Freehold, NJ.

Speaking of their son, they said, “As his parents, Cory makes us very proud in everything he does. He’s a great person, a very good athlete, and a scholar. Cory continues to improve his GPA in school while playing on two to three baseball teams at most times. In our store, we can always count on Cory to help. Many times he will pick up and deliver vacuums to people who cannot get to the store.”

Cory’s list of accomplishments is lengthy. He started playing Little League Baseball at the age of five and continued into Travel Team Baseball, Middle School Baseball, High School Baseball, Legion Baseball, and he played on the All-Star Legion Baseball Team for two years.

He’s helped coach kids at Little League, has umpired their games, participated in food drives, walked in Relay for Life Cancer Walk and helped run Labor Day Bash Baseball Tournaments.

Reflecting on Cory’s accomplishments and character, Ann McCormick of Jackson Memorial High School, stated that Cory is an enthusiastic learner who never settles for anything but his very best effort, and that effort has always resulted in “A+” work.

Ann, who is the Advanced Placement Chemistry Instructor, said, “Whether in the laboratory or in classroom discussions, Cory is a standout among his peers. Because of his outstanding work, other students often sought him for help with chemistry as well as advice about life. He is a well-rounded young man for whom no challenge is too great.”

Cory’s goal is to work in the field of medicine. He said, “I would like to find easier and more efficient cures for everything from the common cold to the rarest of diseases. After losing my grandmother, to a disease called Amyloid, I have experienced first hand the feeling of helplessness. Within a matter of months she went from being at all my baseball games and school functions to only being a wonderful memory. I would love to create medicines so other families may not have to go through the pain we did.”

Cory added that he would like to work for a major company where the most technologically up-to-date tools are available to help him fulfill his career objectives.

The VDTA/SDTA is proud to award the 2009 VDTA/Epstein Scholarship to Carolina and Cory and hope the scholarships will help them achieve their lofty goals.

# # #

Applications are now available for the 2010 VDTA/Epstein Scholarship. A complete list of criteria and applications may be obtained by calling VDTA/SDTA at 1-800-367-5651 or visiting the Web site www.vdta.com.

Application deadline is Nov. 30, 2009.

How is the scholarship funded?

The VDTA/Epstein scholarship is funded solely through donations from the sewing and vacuum industry. Some dealers have sent in donations with their membership dues and we applaud them. However, more than 98 percent of the funding has been accomplished through a charity golf tournament held each year at the VDTA/SDTA Convention. Without the golf tournament there would be no scholarship program. This year, donations and the golf participation have greatly diminished. We know everyone is counting their pennies. Many of the companies that have donated or participated in the past have cut their budgets for charitable donations. We understand and we have a positive outlook on future years for our association members. We hope that the donations for 2010 will increase so we can continue to award these scholarships that truly make a difference in the lives of our industry’s youth!

Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, April 2009