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First draft for Phil & Mary Beth · highlighted words are things we still need from you ·A: A seat by the fireB: Keeping the fire goingC: Help a student
Mason's FoundationBlue Collar Memorial

In memory of Mason Kraese

Help a Huntington student start a life in the trades.

College isn't for everyone. Mason knew that. Every June, his foundation sends six graduates from Huntington and Walt Whitman into the trades with $500 and a toolbox of their own.

Fill a toolbox
Mason, Local 638, April 2025
Mason, Local 638, April 2025
  • 501(c)(3) nonprofit
  • More than 400 neighbors at our first fundraiser
  • Huntington HS and Walt Whitman HS
  • Every gift is tax deductible

The problem

Plenty of kids are built for the trades. Starting is the hard part.

Everyone points them to college.

Counselors, ads and well-meaning family say the same thing. A kid who wants to work with his hands can start to think he chose wrong.

The first tools cost money.

Boots, gloves, a meter, a set of wrenches. A new apprentice needs them before the first real paycheck comes in.

It can feel like a long search.

Mason tried one job after another before he found his trade. Most kids have to find their way alone.

Hard work deserves a fair start.

Mason giving a thumbs up while a friend works under the hood

Who we are

We know that search. We lived it with Mason.

Mason worked as an HVAC helper, at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, at Huntington Hospital and as a dock builder before Trane sent him into the Local 638 Steamfitters apprenticeship. He graduated in April of 2025, and he was so proud of himself.

His family started Mason's Foundation so the next student starts that road ready, with money in hand, tools of their own and a whole town behind them.

He was all about community and helping others. 

Phil and Mary Beth KraeseMason's parents
1 of 4

How it works

Three steps from your gift to a first day on the job.

  1. 1You give or sponsor.

    Any amount helps. Pick a tool for a student, or put your business behind one.

  2. 2We fill a student's toolbox.

    Each scholar gets $500, plus up to $500 in tools for the trade they chose.

  3. 3A graduate starts their trade.

    Six students a year from Huntington and Walt Whitman, every June.

Are you a student?Apply in March → Awards in June → Start your tradeSee the scholarship →
The crowd at Mason's August fundraiser

Last August, more than 400 neighbors showed up for Mason.

Sunday, August 16, 2026, at Six Harbors Brewing Company. What it raised. That is what one life can start.

See the day

Choose how you help

Every way in fills a toolbox.

From $25Give a toolGloves, safety glasses, a wrench set. Pick what goes in a student's box.Pick a tool →$500Fill a whole toolboxOne student's full kit for the trade they chose. The gift most people remember giving.Fill one →From $250Sponsor as a businessPut your company behind the next apprentice. Sponsors go on our sponsor wall.Sponsor levels →

Fill this year's toolbox

Every scholar gets up to $500 in tools for their trade. Pick what you want to put in.

Tap the tools. $500 fills one student's toolbox.

Give to the toolboxTool prices: Phil to confirm a real starter kit

Picture June

Six graduates walk into their first job with tools of their own.

A new plumber's helper with a fresh set of wrenches. An electrician with her own meter. A kid who heard that college isn't for everyone, and believed it. Mason's story keeps going, one trade at a time, and you're part of it.

Keep Mason's story going.

Fill a toolbox for the next one.

Mason's Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gift is tax deductible, and you get a receipt by email.

DonateAdd your story to the fire

Not ready to give? Get the invite to the next event.