“College isn't for everyone.”
Keep Mason's story going.
Mason Kraese was a steamfitter, a firefighter and a country boy who found his place in the trades. His foundation helps Huntington students start a life in the trades too, with a scholarship and the tools to begin.
Every Blue Collar Cowboy needs diesel.
MasonWho Mason was
Hard work, family, and a truck that ran on diesel.
Mason tried a lot of jobs before he found his trade. He worked HVAC like his dad, built docks, and finally got his break with Trane, who sent him into the Local 638 Steamfitters apprenticeship. He graduated in April of 2025, and he was so proud of himself.
He was a Huntington Manor firefighter for six years, a member of the Farm Bureau, and happiest out East at the truck pulls in Riverhead. He made friends everywhere he went, and he never stopped.
Read Mason's story →Around the fire
Everybody has a story about Mason.
His buddies used to sit around the campfire upstate telling stories. This is that fire. Pull up a chair, read a few, and add yours.
The scholarship
Six students a year, with the tools to start.
Every year the foundation helps graduating students from Huntington High School and Walt Whitman High School begin a career in the trades, the path Mason found and loved.
About the scholarship →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.
Where do you fit?
There is a place for you here.
Events
Come out and be part of it.
Our next event isn't set yet. Leave your email and you'll be the first to hear when it is.
See events →Keep his story going. Pass it on.
Every gift helps one more student into the trades.
Mason's Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gift is tax deductible, and you get a receipt by email.