CAVC receives check for Joseph Smith Vocational Scholarship

By Devese “Dee” Ursery

[email protected]

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades along with the Painters and Allied Trades for Children’s Hope Foundation gifted the Collinsville Area Vocational Center with $100,000 in honor of the Joseph Smith Vocational Scholarship.

On Mar.10, Gregg and Anna Smith, parents of Joseph Smith and founders of the scholarship in their son’s name, presented a big check to Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 Superintendent Dr. Brad Skertich. 

The Joseph Smith Vocational Scholarship was created in 2022 by the Smith family in memory of their son, Collinsville Area Vocational Center student Joseph Smith. The scholarship benefits students who attend CAVC to pursue training toward a career in the automotive or welding industries.

“Joseph had goals of attending a trade school to follow his passion of working with his hands whether it be welding or mechanics,”Anna Smith said. “Maintaining and continuing the scholarship in his name, honors and allows us, as a family, to help others in the continuation of their future education and career.”

PATCH was established in 2001, and is supported by the members IUPAT to help children in need throughout North America. It has raised and given nearly $2 million to organizations that provide educational and medical services to youth, and in support of local children’s sports programs.

“We are grateful as a family to belong to the IUPAT and the PATCH Foundation where we can be a part of making a difference in student’s lives at the Collinsville Area Vocational Center,” said Gregg Smith, general secretary-treasurer of the IUPAT, “We know our son Joe wouldn’t have had it any other way than to help his fellow students at the center pursue the same goals he was so passionate about.”

CAVC is a two-year, public vocational training center for high school juniors and seniors. Housed on the campus of Collinsville High School, it is a cooperative program which also includes students from Civic Memorial High School, Dupo High School, East Alton-Wood River High School, Edwardsville High School, Highland High School, Lebanon High School, Mascoutah High School, Roxana High School and Triad High School

Joe McGinnis, director of CAVC, said Smith was a dedicated CAVC student who excelled in auto mechanics and welding, demonstrating both skill and passion for the trades. In his honor, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades’ generous $100,000 donation will support future generations of welding and auto mechanics students.”

“The generous support from the IUPAT Patch Foundation has secured the long-term future of the Joseph Smith Vocational Scholarship, ensuring his legacy lives on for generations,” McGinnis said. “This scholarship empowers dedicated and hardworking students pursuing careers in welding and auto mechanics, offering them the choice between a $3,000 scholarship or a $3,000 tool package to support their journey in the trades.”

According to Smith, her son’s legacy was to always put others before his own needs. He would go out of his way to help others in need whether it be intervening when a fellow Kahok was being bullied or even in passing as an organ donor. His mother described him as a caregiver and nurturer and vows to be his voice.