The American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation, in partnership with Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, is pleased to announce the recipients of the Light a Spark Grant:

• Annandale High School – Annandale, MN
• Elizabethton High School – Elizabethton, TN
• Lutheran High Northeast – Norfolk, NE
• Madison Memorial High School – Madison, WI
• Mountain Ridge High School – Herriman, UT
• Otter Valley Union High School – Brandon, VT
• Paul Duke STEM High School – Norcross, GA
• River Bluff Education Center – Red Wing, MN
• Southeast Region CTC – Wahpeton, ND

These nine schools will receive a turnkey Miller® welding starter pack including equipment, supplies, and personal protective equipment valued at more than $14,000, allowing the schools to introduce welding to their students. The starter pack includes the following items (subject to change):

• MobileArc™ Augmented Reality Welding System
• Miller Multimatic 220 AC/DC Powersource - ability to perform GTAW, GTAW-P, GMAW, FCAW & SMAW welding processes
• Miller Spectrum 375 Plasma cutter
• Oxy-Fuel Cutting Pack; including regulators, cutting & heating tips
• SMAW, GMAW, & GTAW whips with consumable kit
• Welding Cart, Arcstation welding table, and safety screens
• PPE & Hand tools; including welding gloves, jacket, auto darkening helmet, face shield, chipping hammer, wire brush, and more

“The AWS Foundation is extremely pleased to offer high schools that do not currently offer a welding program this grant funding. It will provide hundreds of students the opportunity to experience welding for the first time and consider the possibility of welding as a career,” said AWS Foundation Executive Director Monica Pfarr. 

“Miller is committed to advancing the craft of welding through training and education,” says Justin Blount, Group President, Miller. “We are proud to partner with the AWS Foundation to provide these schools with the equipment and supplies needed to introduce their students to the craft of welding.” 

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About AWS Foundation: The AWS Foundation was established by the American Welding Society on September 13, 1989, to support programs that ensure the growth and development of the welding industry through education, research, and workforce development. Led by a volunteer Board of Trustees, the Foundation is organized as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its operations are conducted from the Society's offices in Miami, Florida. For more information, visit www.aws.org/foundation. 

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About Miller: Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a leading worldwide manufacturer of Miller® brand arc welding products and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (NYSE: ITW). For more information, visit MillerWelds.com, call 1-800-4-A-Miller (800-426-4553), email info@millerwelds.com, fax 877-327-8132, or write to Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, P.O. Box 100, Lithonia, GA 30058.

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