Paying the winner’s way to a big conference, the 2021 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship application period is now open.
Founded in 2001 by sisters Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in honor of their mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, according to a news release. The program provides the opportunity for representatives from family-owned, United Fresh Produce Association member companies to
attend the United Fresh Washington Conference, returning this year in-person to Washington, D.C., at the Grand Hyatt.
Scholarship recipients will receive complimentary airfare, hotel and registration to participate in the conference, September 20-22.
“Through our family’s scholarship, we have been honored to host more than 60 industry professionals at the Washington Conference through the past two decades,” Frieda’s Inc. owner, vice president and chief operating officer Jackie Caplan Wiggins said in the release. “These scholarship recipients have developed into strong leaders and advocates for our industry.”
The scholarship committee reviews applicants for the program using several criteria, including each candidate’s interest in advocacy work and commitment to the produce industry. Applications must be received by July 30.
The United Fresh Washington Conference brings together produce leaders from all sectors of the industry for education on critical industry issues and meetings with members of Congress, their staff and top regulatory officials. Scholarship recipients will have an opportunity to network with produce industry executives from across the country, as well as gain an understanding of the political process and how to advocate for their priority issues.
“Each year, the Caplan family so graciously provides the industry’s family businesses with this one-of-a-kind professional development and leadership opportunity to get deeply immersed in the policy side of fresh produce,” said Miriam Wolk, United Fresh’s Vice President, Member Services. “Scholarship recipients come away from the Washington Conference with strategic connections and the skill set and knowledge to advocate for the issues that impact their businesses and the produce industry.”
The conference also features a Produce Advocacy Bootcamp for attendees new to communicating with Congress, workshops detailing the most critical public policy issues facing the industry, general sessions with top national leaders, a private tour of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and networking.
To submit an application, visit www.unitedfresh.org or contact Angela Tiwari, United Fresh’s director of grassroots and political action, at atiwari@unitedfresh.org or 202-303-3416.
