2024 SAME Foundation Fundraising Campaign

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

I have had a wonderful career in engineering thanks to the support of countless people over the course of my education and career. Most critically, I could not have made it through college without the financial support and encouragement from organizations like the SAME Foundation. The next generation is our future, and I think it is critical to provide the same support for those with the aptitude and interest in an engineering career.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

While all of the SAME Foundation programs are making a very positive impact on identifying and supporting entry into engineering careers, I especially like the Indigenous STEM program. I attended the University of New Mexico and worked the early part of my career in the Rocky Mountain West. During that time, I studied and worked with many Native Americans. I developed a very profound respect for their culture, the challenges they face, and the work ethic they have. I love the “We Must Go to Them” project.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

“Fostering Engineering Leadership for the Nation” says it all! If we develop good leaders, the mission will perpetuate. This is great for our youth considering engineering (or not even aware of considering engineering), our peers, our leaders, and our country.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Mercedes Enrique was a great ambassador and it was her time and effort that prompted our support of the Foundation. Once we had a strong understanding of how our donation would help, it was an easy decision.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Both the Leader Development Program and the Engineering & Construction Camps are of particular interest to our Post because of their goals in introduce and foster STEM and leadership principals to future generations. 

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The commitment to STEM and engaging with youth to help educate future professionals in our industry.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

For me, donating to the SAME Foundation is a way to accomplish two goals: give back and pay it forward. Give back to SAME for all it has taught me, all the wonderful opportunities it has provided me throughout my career, and, of course, the great friends that I have made through the years. Pay it forward by supporting programs, such as the STEM/Engineering and Construction Camps, with the intent of developing the next generation of STEM professionals ready to meet the infrastructure and readiness needs of our nation with a purposeful focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

I am most interested in the Foundation’s programs that work with high school and college students to encourage careers in the A/E/C industry. Such programs best reflect the mission of the charitable foundation that my husband, Mitch, and I established several years ago, which is: To provide opportunity and second chances for all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination on the basis of identity or disability.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The mission of the Foundation is to foster engineering leadership for the nation, and of course, there are many ways and many avenues to accomplish this. The Foundation’s initiatives and programs that are focused on supporting the development of the next generation of STEM professionals and leaders—with a purposeful focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion—resonate the most with me.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

SAME has made an impact on my life, and thus my donations have been provided for many years, growing as I grew my income. I wished to contribute to our ability to impact future generations of engineer leaders in all disciplines and within all levels of our society, no matter their circumstances. 

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

SAME has made an impact on my life, and thus my donations have been provided for many years, growing as I grew my income. I wished to contribute to our ability to impact future generations of engineer leaders in all disciplines and within all levels of our society, no matter their circumstances. 

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

For me and my wife, the ability to make an impact on future engineers, no matter what their current discipline or level in our society, is what resonates with us. We see this being carried out in all of the SAME Foundation’s programs.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

We are a long-time supporter of SAME, and by supporting the SAME Foundation and its mission we can be a part of a relevant and effective effort.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

While all the programs the Foundation supports are important and relevant, we believe that the Leader Development Program is crucial to our country’s future. Strong and vital leadership is especially needed for our country and its institutions.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The Leader Development program resonates the most with our organization. Apogee understands the critical importance of strong leadership in any organization. Developing leaders for today and the future is important to our company, our military, and our country. Apogee supports many initiatives that focus on personal and professional development. It is important that we conduct employee training that includes health and well-being, financial growth, professional development, and communications. We have created a volunteer company advisory committee so that new ideas can freely flow to our leadership to consider improvements, further develop leadership, and promote positive changes.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Pond believes in all the reasons the Foundation was established. Without strong STEM support and leadership development, this industry, and the nation, will not be successful in the future. SAME is critical to the Pond team as it provides a way for us to partner with government clients and also serves as a place where we make critical business relationships stronger. 

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Pond has taken advantage of the SAME Leadership Development Program in the past, and we feel it is important to support the Foundation’s efforts in this area. Having an outside organization run a program that is populated with the best emerging leaders in the industry is very beneficial. It provides a diverse experience for our participants, and they come back to us ready to serve and grow with the company. We feel that industry members who benefit from these programs should step up and support these programs.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The Foundation’s compelling purpose is “Fostering Engineering Leadership for the Nation.” Our nation and our industry are depending on the type of support the Foundation provides to keep our place as #1 in the world.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Of the organizations I donate to, the SAME Foundation is in the top three! I was the SAME National President when we stood up the Foundation, and to me, it is the best nonprofit to support STEM, develop leadership skills (our LDP is best in class), and honor the greatest military engineers of our lifetime.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Our Engineering & Construction Camps. I have visited several of the camps, and they are all fantastic. My daughter Claudia was a camp mentor at the Marine Corps camp for several summers. She would come home and tell me stories of how impactful the week was and how she worked with high school kids who became successful members of a team made up of kids they had never met before after just one week living on a Marine Corps base.  These kids arrive as “individual superstars” back at their schools but learn the importance and comradery of working as a team, as well as getting exposed to the military mission and engineering and construction activities. 

The biggest benefit to Claudia was her mentor at the camp, Joe Angell. Joe has run the Marine Corps camp every year and touched the lives of everyone engaged at the camp. Like most volunteer positions, the more you give, the more you get. Joe and all of our volunteer camp leaders and mentors exhibit leadership at its best!

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

Supporting STEM. It imperative that we encourage young kids to embrace STEM. We can’t leave this mission to our schools; we have to engage at every level and grow our future workforce. Donations to the Foundation are so impactful and they do make a difference. So just Say Yes, and make your donation today!

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Carter: As RVP for the California Region, I am helping raise funds for the SAME Foundation as part of this fundraising cycle. As presented, the goal is $40K from Corporate Sponsors and $40K in matching funds from the Posts in the California Region. As RVP, I am encouraging all the Posts in the California Region to contribute what they can. The Orange County Post’s E&M Fund is currently above our target corpus, and the committee voted in favor of making a $15K matching donation. The Sacramento Post also has pledged a $5K donation. The Foundation supports worthwhile activities and is worth supporting!

Rodriguez: For me, I would say it was being part of the inaugural Leader Development Program (LDP) class. That allowed me to see first-hand what the Foundation is able to provide and how it really did help future leaders of the Society. That was my primary focus for what drew me to support the Foundation.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Carter: The LDP and SAME’s STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps are the two areas I am most interested in. LDP has the added value of providing Regional/Post benefits—the current President and Vice President in the OC Post are both recent LDP graduates. The SAME Camps are fantastic as well. It is really inspiring to see each student’s excitement and energy related to the activities they are exposed to and the things they learn. If you have the chance to participate/be a mentor—do it!

Rodriguez: The LDP is one of them, since it touched me personally and supported me and my growth as a professional. But also the SAME STEM/Engineering & Construction Camps, since that was really my first introduction to SAME as a young engineer. Being able to go up to the Navy Camp and just help out with the students there is one of my goals as Post President. We want to do whatever we can for STEM, from supporting the ability of campers to go to the camps to supporting local STEM programs in our area. It’s an area that really touched me and I want to support.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

Carter: The LDP and Camps are both investments in our collective futures—our future SAME leaders and our future A/E/C leaders that America’s strong future is so dependent upon. It is very important that we all support these and the other activities that the SAME Foundation makes possible!

Rodriguez: For me, it’s the support for the young engineers who are bringing up the engineering profession and getting STEM out there. I think the Foundation is doing a great job in building these programs in a way that the Posts can then build their own smaller programs, such as the American Indian/Alaska Native outreach program that came out from one of the LDP groups and now a few Posts are directly engaged in at their level. I know that the Posts want to do as much as we can locally, but it’s always great to have a Foundation that we can learn from and can provide us support.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Over the past 30 years, I’ve strived to uplift and empower student engineers through focused mentorship and education. My work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has encouraged me toward advocacy in the military engineering sector, making the SAME Foundation an especially well-aligned association. Since my work with the Foundation, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with many of the SAME leaders, all of whom displayed a similar mindset of support and guidance toward future engineers.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

The SAME STEM Camps exemplify my belief in nurturing hope and talent through education. Guiding students through in-person training allows them to foster an even more keen interest in the STEM field, furthering their confidence and know-how in a way that positively impacts the entire industry.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The ambitions of the SAME Foundation are similar to my own ambitions, both personally and professionally. Their mission to build leaders strongly resonates with me, as my continuous goal lies in the mentorship and education of tomorrow’s industry professionals. The SAME Foundation provides me with a meaningful, clear-cut avenue to achieve that goal.   

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

We proudly support the SAME Foundation because, at CMS, we are committed to bolstering the STEM pipeline. We recognize the vital role it plays in fostering a future workforce for the engineering and construction industry. By investing in the SAME Foundation, we are not only supporting the Foundation but cultivating leaders to fortify our defense industrial base. Additionally, my sister, Mercedes Enrique, CMS President, is personally committed to the Foundation’s mission and its present and future impact.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

We are particularly enthusiastic about the funding that aims to support the Construction and Engineering Summer Camps organized by SAME, SAME Regions, and Posts. These week-long experiences provide high school students with invaluable hands-on exposure to engaging construction and engineering projects. At a crucial juncture in their academic journey, these camps offer students the opportunity to explore their interests and passions while shaping their future educational paths. By investing in these camps, we are empowering the next generation of innovators and leaders in the construction and engineering fields.

The biggest benefit to Claudia was her mentor at the camp, Joe Angell. Joe has run the Marine Corps camp every year since it started and touched the lives of everyone engaged at the camp. Like most volunteer positions, the more you give, the more you get. Joe and all of our volunteer camp leaders and mentors exhibit leadership at its best!

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

We are committed to the SAME Foundation’s mission, particularly its emphasis on enhancing the accessibility of STEM education and the imperative of reinforcing the engineering and construction pipeline. Our alignment with these principles underscores our dedication to ensuring that all students have equal access to opportunities in STEM fields. By strengthening the engineering and construction pipeline, we are not only nurturing talent but also laying the groundwork for a robust and inclusive future workforce. Through our collaboration with the SAME Foundation, we are proud to contribute to building a more diverse and resilient foundation for the industries of tomorrow.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

In 1986, my supervisor, mentor, and friend, Rose Dela Vega, F.SAME, introduced me to and encouraged me to become active in SAME. Since that time, AMT, many staff members, and I have become involved in numerous Posts, their committees, and activities. AMT values the Foundation’s commitment to STEM initiatives that benefits the military, civilians, and SAME member firms. Cultivating the youth of today to be future leaders in the A/E/C industry assists this nation in having a pipeline of quality engineers, construction managers, and environmentalists. SAME has paved the way for AMT to make a positive impact on providing engineering services to major military bases and government clients in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

I support the SAME Leader Development Program and commend the Foundation’s efforts to cultivate capable leaders. This program is instrumental in giving individuals from within SAME membership the opportunity to develop critical leadership experience while exploring their own strengths, expanding problem-solving skills, and collaborating with industry colleagues.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

We believe in STEM mentoring for youth, supporting young scholars on their journeys to STEM careers, witnessing students actualize their talent through Foundation scholarships, and developing future leaders within the A/E/C profession. The Foundation’s mission of Fostering Engineering Leadership on all levels for the nation is compelling and purposeful. Through the Foundation’s concentrated STEM efforts, industry and this nation together will benefit and the service to our military will be invaluable.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Tepa LLC has always supported the efforts of SAME and is proud to support the Foundation’s initiatives to support leadership development and STEM. Across the United States, our team volunteers at a variety of board positions throughout multiple Posts as well as providing support for various programs at these Posts.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Personally, I am very interested in supporting STEM and STEM Camp programs. I have worked with our Student Chapters in Nebraska, as well as volunteered as a mentor for the past seven years for the Omaha Post’s 30-year-old Student Mentor Program and as a mentor for the Scott Field Post’s STEM Camp. I have seen first hand how these programs impact the young individuals who participate.

Tepa has always encouraged our team to participate in leadership roles within our Posts and fully supports our volunteer efforts in our local STEM programs.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The SAME Foundation’s goal of developing a system to support leadership and STEM programs across the Society for years to come is strongly resonates with Tepa and myself personally.

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

The SAME Foundation supports programming aimed at developing the future architects, engineers, and construction professionals our nation depends on. At Jack Wayte Construction Co., Inc., we recognize the pipeline of A/E/C professionals is shrinking, and we wholeheartedly believe in the Foundation’s efforts to reverse this trend.

I have experienced firsthand the benefits afforded to small businesses in the construction industry by SAME. In 2011, I met my mentor, and was invited to attended my first JETC Conference in Los Angeles, Calif. Since then, I’ve attended SBC annually, making the most of the educational offerings and invaluable networking opportunities. By all accounts, SAME is an excellent organization, and the SAME Foundation is no exception.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Due to the significant shortage of people pursuing the A/E/C professions, I think it is safe to say that many businesses are fighting in the same small pool for the same talent that is currently available. I do not foresee this trend improving in the next decade without immediate attention. I hold myself accountable to be part of the solution to this issue. 

The SAME Foundation provides an excellent avenue to support this endeavor through the STEM/Engineering and Construction camps! As a proud mom of three young boys, I can personally attest that children learn best from hands-on experiences. These camps provide experiences that allow the students to see how A/E/C professionals work to create, innovate, and solve problems. By providing real-life engineering and construction experience, the SAME Foundation builds an on-ramp for students to pursue careers in the industry.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

Jack Wayte Construction Co., Inc. looks forward to being a part of the SAME Foundation’s mission in providing STEM education to the youth of our nation for years to come. We want to ensure that our industry continues to nurture new talent, innovators, and most importantly future leaders. We believe that the Foundation wholeheartedly supports this mission and hold true to the quote by Nobel Prize laureate Albert Camus, “True generosity toward the future consists in giving everything to the present.”   

What drew you to donate to the SAME Foundation?

Investing in the future leaders of the A/E/C world is critical, now more than ever. With technology rapidly changing, we need to cultivate and encourage the next generation to explore their interests in STEM-related careers. Our industry depends on forward thinking and purpose-driven individuals to push innovation and infrastructure forward.

The scholarships offered by the SAME Foundation assist in removing obstacles and barriers that could prevent these individuals from continuing their journey. As a construction business leader, I believe I have a responsibility to help support initiatives fostering the future of engineering and construction. At the forefront of every SAME Foundation program is leadership, mentorship, and service. These are values I strive to instill within my team, and I’m honored to be able to support the SAME Foundation.

Which SAME Foundation program are you most interested in, and why?

Each program provides crucial mentoring and training needed for developing the skills and leadership needed to ensure our future workforce. The Camps Mentoring Program stood out to me as it focuses on building a support system through mentorship early in the camper’s career journey.

The A/E/C industry is demanding and can be overwhelming to someone pursuing a STEM career. This program provides resources for advice and guidance during their journey. A robust workforce is needed to meet the demands of future infrastructure challenges, and we need to put in every effort possible to encourage the growth of the industry.

What part of the SAME Foundation’s mission resonates the most with you?

The SAME Foundation’s mission encompasses an ethos that resonates greatly with me. Ingrained within the Richard Group culture is a purpose-driven mentality, with our motto being “We’re building to solve the world’s greatest construction challenges.” Ambitious, innovated team players seeking to deliver solutions through purpose-filled work are the cornerstone of Richard Group. I saw a similar vision with the SAME Foundation’s mission to foster A/E/C leadership by discovering and nurturing the talent needed to face our country’s complex infrastructure challenges and remain on the cutting edge of readiness. Success in this mission is structured on mentorship, leadership training, and service, all of which the programs provide.