Charles P. Lake - Rain for Rent Scholarship

The Charles P. Lake-Rain for Rent Scholarship was established in the memory of the company’s founder. Charles P. Lake started Western Oilfields Supply Company, the parent company of Rain for Rent, in 1934. He entered the agricultural irrigation equipment business in 1948 under the Rain for Rent name and pioneered the irrigation equipment rental industry.

Expanding into the tank rental business in 1990, Rain for Rent is now among the top fifteen industrial rental companies in the United States with over fifty branches nationwide.  A leader in pump, tank, pipeline and filtration rentals, Rain for Rent has worked on projects as diverse as mine dewatering, bypass pumping, fire protection and environmental remediation.

Purpose

Rain for Rent offers up to twenty (20) scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each annually to qualified college students to help them pursue a career in agriculture, irrigation technology, pumps or fluid dynamics. To support our employees’ children, we will also award five (5) scholarships to qualified college students.

Eligibility

Applicants will be accepted within the following criteria:

1. Must have completed their freshman year at an approved college/university and be currently enrolled for the next school year.
2. Must have a 3.0 or higher overall grade point average.
3. Emphasis of education must be primarily Agricultural or Engineering in nature, with a major in an accredited School of Agriculture, Engineering or Construction Management Program.  Business majors are accepted through designated universities.

Requirements

Successful applicants are required to:

1. Attend a 3 hour orientation meeting at a Rain for Rent facility, and
2. Forward a photo to Rain for Rent so that we may generate a news release to be published in local newspapers and the Rain for Rent Solutions newsletter.
3. Successful applicants may be required to attend an awards dinner.

Submittal Process

The scholarship program is administered through participating universities, farm bureaus and designated organizations. 

Farm Bureaus

• Arizona Farm Bureau Federation
• Fresno County Farm Bureau
• Imperial County Farm Bureau
• Kern County Farm Bureau
• Monterey County Farm Bureau
• San Joaquin County Farm Bureau
• Tulare County Farm Bureau

• California State University, Chico
• Cal Poly, Pomona
• Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
• Gonzaga University
• Louisiana Tech University
• University of Waterloo
• North Dakota School of Mines
• University of California, Santa Barbara
• Walla Walla Community College
• California State University, Bakersfield  (Business Majors Accepted)
• University of Arizona
• Arizona State University
• California State University, Fresno
• Louisiana State University
• Texas A&M University
• University of California, Davis
• University of Texas, Arlington
• McNeese State University
• Utah State University

Other Participating Organizations

• Georgia Utility Contractors Association (GUCA)
• Idaho Future Farmers of America
• Idaho Irrigation Equipment Association
• North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT)
• National FFA Foundation
   

1. Applications are accepted annually Feb 1st through April 30th.
2. Applications must be submitted through the applicant’s university, farm bureau or other participating organization.

Deadline for Receipt of Applications at Rain for Rent:    April 30

3. Official transcripts must be attached to each application.

Selection Process

Each participating organization will submit their top three applicants.  The Rain for Rent Scholarship Committee will select the finalists.

Some preference may be made to those students who are specializing in irrigation technology, pumps, trenchless technology and fluid dynamics.

In the event that the applicants are equal in their academic achievements and in their extracurricular activities, the scholarship will be awarded on the basis of need.

Awards

Each recipient will receive a check for $1,500 mailed directly to his or her university.  The award, which will be deposited into the recipients’ student account, can be used for tuition or the purchase of books and class materials.

For a printable version of this information in PDF format, click here.