With the backing of a $250,000 gift from the Bucyrus Foundation, Milwaukee Public Schools’ Harry and Lynde Bradley Technology and Trade High School will add four welding stations to its welding lab to grow the number of students it can accommodate.
The expanded lab will be named the Bucyrus Foundation Welding Lab in honor of the gift.
“The Bucyrus Foundation is committed to keeping the Bucyrus name associated with efforts to promote manufacturing in the Milwaukee community,” said Tim Sullivan, Bucyrus Foundation director and president and CEO of Gardner Denver. “In this spirit, the Bucyrus Foundation’s trustees are thrilled that Bradley Tech is expanding its welding facilities to meet new student demand. We are particularly enthused that student demand has created the impetus for this expansion. The message that manufacturing is a good and noble profession providing family sustaining income is finally getting through to the youth in our community.”
The $250,000 gift was transferred from the Bucyrus Foundation, a donor-advised fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, to the Bradley Tech Foundation. Donation dollars will also support the operations of the school’s welding department over the next two years.
“This is the largest gift received by Bradley Tech Foundation in a decade and portends well for the foundation’s ability to support of the needs of continued student achievement at Bradley Tech,” said Susie Stein, philanthropic counsel for the Bradley Tech Foundation.
Bradley Tech is one of four MPS high schools that offers welding classes.
“We’re proud to offer welding in a number of our high schools including Bradley Tech,” said MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton. “This generous donation to expand the welding lab at Bradley Tech helps more students explore this career pathway as we seek to prepare graduates to be college and career ready.”
