After a 2-year pandemic hiatus, the WT Foundation re-branded its main fundraising event into an all-new format and feel. On September 22, the inaugural ‘Grip It, Rip It, Trace It’ event was held at the Top Tracer Facility located within the Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club in Hoffman Estates. This sold out event included a packed house of ten bays, allowing for six golfers at each to participate. Invitation was open to all in the community, including WT employees.
In addition to the golfing fun, guests enjoyed food and drinks throughout the night. Outside of the range, an array of enticing raffle baskets were on display with items donated from various local businesses. A 50/50 raffle also took place raising additional funds to support the overall Foundation. Adding to the excitement of potential prize winnings for attending participants was a goodie bag of assorted items from many of the evening’s sponsors.
Troy Triphahn, President of the WT Foundation, was fortunate to visit each bay and individually thank those that made this event happen. “I consider this event an absolute success,” he said. “Besides selling out our first event ever, it was amazing to see all of our partners who came out to support the WT Foundation. They say it takes a village, right? Our village of employees, volunteers, vendor/partners, and clients, in the Hoffman Estates Park District, all came together to make this night a tremendous success. I am grateful to everyone who made it happen, and look forward to many successful events in the future!“
For committee member Lauren Barraza, Principal, MEP & Business Development who aptly coined the popular ‘Grip It, Rip It, Trace It’ phrase, she sees events such as these from a two-fold standpoint. She says, “Not only are they fun, but these events are what keeps our Foundation growing! By remaining committed to our communities and to students pursuing degrees in engineering, the Foundation is able to continually provide scholarships to high school students, thus empowering our youth for the future. I am glad that the passion both my father and uncle had for this industry will continue into the future workforce!”
As more and more local high schools develop STEM-focused learning pathways, some focusing specifically on the ever-evolving field of engineering, the WT Foundation’s mission becomes heightened even more. Troy knows the impact a Foundation such as this can have. He says, “As a community-focused organization, our goal is through competitive scholarships, to make it a little easier for many bright young adults to go to college and achieve a degree in engineering or a related field. Engineers will always be needed in our society to design our projects today, but more importantly, these are the future generations who are going to save our world in the future. Whether it is greener buildings, renewable energy, or life beyond earth, an engineer will undoubtedly be part of the solution. The WT Foundation will do what we can to make a big difference in the communities we serve.”
A big thank you to our sponsors that made this event possible: Assurance, Enterprise, Evergreen Sales, Maple & Hash, Mid-Continent, LIV Partners, MRG Construction, Maple & Hash, NiKnack Marketing, R. Carlson & Sons, LLC, StormTrap, and WT Group, LLC.
