In July 2024, The Hourglass Foundation was named Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association’s (AFLA) “Charity of the Year.” In celebration, the 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization decided to launch an iGive Back Fundraising Campaign aimed at raising a minimum of $12,000 to help with their student scholarship gifts. These gifts support underserved students pursuing educational endeavors in automotive technology and other skilled trades like HVAC, construction, electrical and similar.
The campaign kicked off in August 2024 and ran through September 30th, 2024, with additional visibility at AFLA’s Annual Conference in San Antonio. As a result of the fundraiser, The Hourglass Foundation was able to raise over $18,700 in contributions—enough to more than double the amount of their direct student scholarship gifts for 2025!
Of the $18K+ raised, The Hourglass Foundation stated that over $9,500 was raised as a direct result of having visibility at the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association’s (AFLA) Annual Conference in San Antonio—as AFLA’s Charity of the Year.
Kim Davidson and panelists at AFLA Conference
The Foundation’s Executive Director, Kim Davidson stated, “There were so many elements that played a part in our campaign’s success, including having center-stage visibility at the AFLA event, including a video presentation during the awards dinner, the dedication and advocacy on the part of our entire Board of Trustees, our amazing Campaign Sponsors—Flexco Fleet Services, HopDrive, and J3 Management Group—and of course, the incredible generosity of so many individual donors and corporate contributors, including so many AFLA attendees, who showed their support for our mission.”
Davidson continued, “I was amazed at the outpouring of support, as well as the amount of interest there was in what we are doing as an organization. It’s a true testament to just how amazing the people in the automotive industry are—friends, colleagues, competitors, and family—this is what happens when fleet professionals come together to help carry forward the success of our industry, while also giving back to a meaningful cause.”
The Hourglass Foundation will be accepting scholarship application submissions in late 2024 and early 2025 with scholarship gifts being awarded in May of 2025. Current scholarships include a More Than One Path Scholarship; a Women Rock Trades Scholarship; a Women in Auto Tech Scholarship; and a Tools of the Trade Scholarship. All of which will help underserved, and/or diversely underrepresented students in their educational pursuits in automotive tech or other similar skilled trades.
If you’d like to help The Hourglass Foundation in their ability to provide invaluable scholarship opportunities, please donate today.
For more information, or Corporate Sponsorship opportunities, contact Kim Davidson.
