When MAYRA began in 1994, one requirement was that the youth, his or her parents, or grandparents had to be members of MAFCA. The award would be made biennially at an MAFCA National Convention. The Dallas Model A Ford Club stepped up to the plate and donated $500 for the first award. The Dallas club has continued with its support for every future award.
Over the years, as the program became widely known, more and more youth applied. The program was later endorsed by the Model A Restorers Club (MARC) and youth associated were able to participate. Today, recipients are announced jointly at the MAFCA and MARC national conventions. The early awards were cash payments, but when the program became exempt under IRS Section 501 (C) 3, the awards became gift certificates purchased from Model A parts and services vendors.
Every eligible applicant receives an award equal to that of the other applicants. The award amounts are established by the Board of Directors and have varied over the years based on the donations received in the intervening two-year period. In recent years, the award amounts ranged from $1,300 to $3,000. MAYRA’s program is set up so that a recipient can apply for additional awards as long as they are less than age 22 by May 31 of the year when the awards are made.
MAYRA’s program relies on local Model A clubs to seek out and identify youth interested in the Model A hobby. It is generally through these contacts that youth become aware of the program. Additionally, the websites and publications of both national Model A Clubs have information on the program and links through Google search and Facebook.
In an effort to expose as many kids as possible to the Model A Ford, both around the country and abroad, in 2022, MAYRA initiated “May is Model A Youth Month.” With the support of both national Model A organizations – MARC and MAFCA – we declared May 2022 as the inaugural Model A Youth Month. Each Model A Club is asked to do an event that provides Model A’s hands-on contact with children and teens but encourages moms and dads to attend, too.
We have a good and fair relationship with Model A parts and services vendors whose donations are in the form of gift certificates. When a vendor donates, MAYRA makes an equal purchase of gift certificates. A large number of additional gift certificates are purchased from those vendors based on their donation’s percentage of all the vendor donations.
