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 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.

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. Emphasis of education must be primarily Agricultural or Engineering in nature, with a major in an accredited School of Agriculture or Engineering Program.  Business majors are accepted through designated universities.

Requirements

Successful applicants are required to:

1. Attend a 2-3 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 applications 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
      School of Agriculture
      Ag Engineering Department
      Multicultural Agricultural Program
• Cal State, Bakersfield  ·
• Chico State
• Fresno State University
• Louisiana State University
• Texas A&M
• University of California, Davis

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
      Business Majors Accepted

1. Applications are accepted annually March 1st through June 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:    June 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 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 made out to his or her university.  The award 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.