WCFab Scholarships

Jason Wehrli founded Wehrli Custom Fabrication in 2010 while working on trucks with his brothers in their parent’s two-truck garage in Sandwich, Illinois. From a young age, the Wehrli brothers learned the importance of a hard day’s work alongside their father, John, an experienced carpenter. As they grew older, they learned to work on their machines and trucks and discovered their own specific skill sets. Today, Wehrli Custom Fabrication has over fifty employees, including Jason’s three brothers: Ryan (Fabrication Shop Manager), Mitch (Powder Coat Shop Manager), and Chad (Machine Shop Manager); and his wife, Brittany (Administrative Director). With each WCFab part manufactured in DeKalb, the expertise of skilled tradesmen and the support of the community has been imperative to WCFab’s success. This Fund allows us to support future generations of trade students and continue the long-standing tradition of manufacturing in DeKalb County.

Launching the Wehrli Custom Fabrication Scholarship Fund

In September 2022, we hosted our first WCFab Open House. This event featured a Truck & Jeep Show, Live Auction, and Raffles benefitting the Fund. In addition to showing the community inside our shop and what we do, this was a great opportunity to work with our passionate customers (many of which work in the trades themselves) to give back and support lifelong skills for the next generation. With the help of our supportive community, we were able to raise $20,000 to create the Wehrli Custom Fabrication Scholarship Fund.

This Fund is for students pursuing a degree or certification in trade-related fields after high school. Areas of study include welding, machine tool, auto mechanic, auto body, business management, and mechanical, industrial, manufacturing, or agricultural engineering. There will be two scholarships awarded each year: one for a student attending a trade school or 2-year college and one for a student attending a 4-year college or university. We hope that this Fund helps students consider a career in a trade-related field.

The Wehrli Custom Fabrication Scholarship distributed its inaugural awards in May 2023. Congratulations to recipients Elijah Somlock of Sandwich High School and Reagan Vander-Bleek of DeKalb High School.

Fund Donations

The fund is managed by the DeKalb County Community Foundation. We continue to grow the fund by donating 5% of merch (t-shirts, hats, etc.) sales. In October 2024, we hosted our second Open House and raised an additional $22,600. Donations can be made online or by mail to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL 60178. For questions or additional information on funds, please contact Executive Director Dan Templin at 815-748-5383 or [email protected].

Application

The Fund supports two annual scholarships for DeKalb County high school seniors. The first is for a student attending a trade school or 2-year college, and the second benefits a student attending a 4-year college or university. Eligible areas of study include welding, machine tooling, auto mechanics, auto body, business management, and mechanical, industrial, manufacturing, or agricultural engineering. The application is available here.