Watershape University Honors First Responders
Watershape University expands Grant’s Grants to recognize the brave professionals who serve their communities and run toward danger when others are running away.
Service comes in many forms.
For the past four years, Watershape University has honored one of the most recognizable service careers through Grant’s Grants, an annual education program created to support military veterans entering the watershaping profession. Through the program, veterans have received valuable technical and business education designed to help them build successful careers in pool and spa design, engineering, construction and service.
Now, Grant’s Grants is expanding.
Beginning this year, Watershape University will extend the program to include First Responders transitioning into the watershaping industry, creating a new opportunity for firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, law enforcement professionals, emergency communications personnel and others whose careers have been defined by service to their communities.
The expansion reflects a simple belief: The qualities that make someone an exceptional first responder can also make that individual an exceptional watershaping professional.
First responders are among the people society depends upon most when circumstances are at their worst. Whether responding to a fire, a medical emergency, a traffic accident, a natural disaster, or another crisis, they are trained to assess situations, solve problems, work as a team, and make critical decisions under pressure.
Their work is fundamentally about helping others.
That spirit of service is at the heart of Grant’s Grants.
A Legacy of Service
Grant’s Grants was established in honor of Grant Smith, whose life reflected a deep commitment to serving his country, his family, and his profession. The program was created to help military veterans bring their experience, discipline, and determination into a new professional chapter within the watershaping industry.
Expanding the program to first responders represents a natural extension of that mission.
Like members of the military, first responders often make personal sacrifices in service to something larger than themselves. They accept responsibility when others need help. They rely on training and teamwork. They understand the importance of preparation, attention to detail and staying focused when circumstances become difficult.
Those qualities have tremendous value in the watershaping profession.
Building and maintaining swimming pools, spas and other water environments requires technical knowledge, sound judgment and an ability to work effectively with customers, contractors, designers, engineers and other professionals. It also requires a strong commitment to safety and responsibility.
For Watershape University, supporting people who have already demonstrated those qualities is an investment in both the individuals receiving the education and the industry they are entering.
Service to the Industry
Watershape University co-founder Dave Peterson sees a direct connection between the values of first responders, military personnel and the watershaping professionals who serve their customers every day.
“We’re proud to support those who have served our country. First responders and military personnel represent the highest ideals of courage, compassion, professionalism, and dedication to making a difference. Those qualities, those ideals, can only benefit our industry and our customers. The professionals we’re honoring make our world a better place.”
The new First Responder category broadens the reach of Grant’s Grants while preserving the program’s original purpose: helping people with a demonstrated commitment to service develop the knowledge and skills needed to build meaningful careers in watershaping.
For recipients, the award can represent more than education. It can provide a bridge between one career built around service and a new career in an industry where technical expertise, professionalism and responsibility can have a lasting impact on people’s lives.
Swimming pools and spas are places where families gather, communities connect and people pursue recreation, relaxation, health and wellness. Creating those environments safely and responsibly is an important undertaking.
Watershape University believes the people who have spent their careers protecting and helping others are uniquely qualified to contribute to that mission.
Running Toward the Need
There is a phrase often associated with first responders: they run toward danger when others run away.
That willingness to act, to accept responsibility and to put others first is precisely what Watershape University hopes to recognize through the expanded Grant’s Grants program.
Grant Smith believed in service. He believed in giving back to his country, his family and his profession. In expanding Grant’s Grants to first responders, Watershape University is carrying that spirit forward by opening the door to another group of professionals whose careers have been defined by courage, commitment and service.
The hope is that these individuals will bring those same qualities into watershaping, strengthening their own careers while making the industry stronger in the process.
Grant’s Grants is now accepting applications from qualifying first responders interested in pursuing education and career opportunities in the pool and spa industry.
Learn more and apply here.