As many of you know, the Pascal Society is the annual giving society of the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation—a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization dedicated to meeting the workforce development needs of the U.S. fluid power industry. Without donations from Pascal members, NFPA would not be able to fund all of our workforce programs that help members connect with students.

The Pascal Society Council was developed in 2020 to make NFPA Pascal donors aware of the opportunities they have to get involved with NFPA’s workforce programs and to get them engaged with and connected to students of all grade levels who may be interested in fluid power careers. It is the place to go to learn about and shape these opportunities. The company representatives on this Council are NFPA’s contacts for all invitations to become involved and the go-to for promoting these activities within their organizations. The Council offers ideas that NFPA can use to make it easier and more beneficial for Pascal donors to get involved. The members also exchange ideas on how their companies have become connected to schools in their community.

Through the Council, donors have connected with university students by mentoring and judging the Vehicle Challenge program and Fluid Power Clubs, by virtually presenting to classes of all levels through the Speaker’s Bureau, by reviewing applications and interviewing high school students for the Robotics Challenge Scholarship, by mentoring tech school students through the Fast Track program and finally, by hiring students for internships and full-time jobs. Through you, students see how exciting fluid power is, how it is innovative, how it is used in the world, how it is everywhere and how it can help them make a difference.

Get involved, get connected! To learn more, contact me at lbeyer@nfpa.com or (414) 778-3364.