This is Really What C.R.A.P. is All About
Here’s a short video that features some very grateful scholarship recipients personally thanking me for getting them the training
Category: Foundation
Off The Wall: Minimum Wage
Hi Mike, The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and hour. A lot of people think it should be raised to $10.10. Seattle now pays $15 an hour, and the The Freedom Socialist Party is demanding a $20 living wage for every working person. What do you think about the minimum wage? How much do you think a Big Mac will cost if McDonald’s had to pay all their employees $20 an hour? Darrell Paul Hi Darrell Back in 1979, I was working as an usher for United Artists at a multiplex in Baltimore. The minimum wage was $2.90, and I Read More
Year End Bobblehead Frenzy
I just got off the phone with my Dad. He asked me what was new, and I told him someone just bought the very first Mike Rowe Bobblehead. “What’s a Bobblehead?” he asked. “It’s a little statue,” I explained, “with an oversized head that bobs and wiggles around on a spring. They’re collectible.” “What’s the point,” he said? “I mean, what do they do, just stand there and shake?” “Pretty much,” I said. “Although mine talks when you press a button.” “Really? What’s it say?” My father is suspicious of talking objects. “Different things,” I said. “You know, stuff I’ve Read More
You Have One New Message – “The Grinch Song” for Samantha
Samantha Romano writes, “Mike – Last year, you recorded the Grinch song on your answering machine. If you do it again, while wearing your bathrobe, I’ll send your foundation $500. If you can get Freddy to howl along some harmony, I’ll make it a thousand. Merry Christmas!” Hi Samantha That’s very generous of you. Please see below. I couldn’t get him to howl, but the tongue-bath has to count for something, right? Mike Post by Mike Rowe. Mike’s Facebook Page
Look Out World… Nic’s gonna be an Electrician!
Todd Ducheny writes, Hey Mike I just wanted to pass on a HUGE THANK YOU to the mikeroweWORKS foundation and the opportunity you have given my son Nic DuCheny. A month or so ago, Nic found out that he had been awarded a mikeroweWORKS scholarship to attend Western Dakota Technical Institute (WDTI) to pursue a career in the Electrical Trades. That scholarship was in the amount of $2500. Nic was pretty excited, as this was less money he would have to take in student loans. Well, I just got back from the mail box, and there was a letter addressed Read More
Holy C.R.A.P. – It’s Black Friday!
The time has come to once again bolster the dwindling coffers at The mikeroweWORKS Foundation by selling my personal crap to the highest bidder. This particular piece of CRAP, (Collectibles Rare And Precious,) has hung proudly on my wall for the last year. Now, it needs a new home, and I can think of no finer destination than your humble abode. Behold the attached video, and tell me you don’t agree. The money goes for work ethic scholarships, so bid high and recklessly. Thanks – Mike PS This AmazonSmile thing has been a huge help to the Foundation. If you Read More
Great Bobble-Head Adventure
OFF THE WALL There appears to some confusion around my GBA, (Great Bobble-Head Adventure,) as well as some consternation. Lots of comments like these are on The Wall. Michael Burman – “Well! This is most unfortunate, as the only bidders who will eventually lay claim to your American made Bobble-head, will be those fortunate enough to have a substantial amount of renumeration!” 11:34 AM, 10/14/14 Robert Slayton – “Since most of us blue collar American fans of yours out here cannot afford to put out the kind of coin it is going to take to obtain one of these….maybe you Read More
SkillsUSA Torch Carrier Award – It’s a Major Award
I’ve always been ambivalent about trophies and plaques and various other tokens of accomplishment designed to live forever on walls and mantles. Unless the memento in question falls into the “major award” category – like The Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story – I prefer to display and cherish my various keepsakes in the garage. Last Friday though, I was honored by my friends at Skills USA, and received from them the rarest kind of souvenir – the kind I will actually show off. It’s called The Torch Carrier Award, and as I told the audience that watched me receive Read More
General Mills’ Generous Donation to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation
I am not a spokesman for General Mills. Neither is my mother. But here at Mom’s place, this morning’s breakfast came in the form of a mixing bowl filled with “Oven Toasted Whole Grain Gluten Free Corn Chex,” courtesy of General Mills. (I’m not sure why all of a sudden people are taking the gluten out of everything edible, but my parents are on board with the trend, and so is General Mills. So as long as I’m here, I guess I am too.) Anyway, I was enjoying the most important meal of the day and perusing last weeks unread Read More
Happy Birthday Dani…Again
Check out a couple of Facebook friends who snuck backstage at The Science Festival. Some of you might recall Evan – a thoughtful guy who requested an original birthday song for his girlfriend, Dani. Thanks to a few beers and a generous donation to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, I complied. That was a year ago. So, unless the custom has changed, I suppose Dani just celebrated another one. Which is the only possible justification to call your attention to this heartfelt expression of musical excess. [youtube url=”http://youtu.be/2SrKmtgMtYs” width=”400″ height=”200″] Crank it up, and Happy Birthday, Dani. (Two days late.)
Hey Mike – We’re Not Qualified for Your Scholarship
Today’s “Hey Mike!” come from yesterdays post. Dallas Pierce writes… “Hey Mike – The problem is that people like me would love to take you up on your offer and learn a viable trade, but we aren’t qualified for your scholarship.” I hear you, Dallas. That is a problem. Also – many who are eligible are simply not geographically suitable for the schools that participate. Also a bummer. Happily, we have several other programs, including one that isn’t tied to a specific school. In the interest of full-disclosure though, I should tell you that all mikeroweWORKS scholarships are essentially “Work Read More
Naked Mike Unauthorized Video
The Naked Truth Question: If I were to form “The American Idol Scholarship Fund” and announce $15,000 of professional training for anyone who wished to become a pop star, how long do you think it would take to give away a million dollars? A day? An hour? A minute? What if I offered the same money to anyone who wanted to learn how to maintain and repair diesel engines? How fast would the million dollars go then? Currently, this question has no official answer. But I can tell you this – for the last month, mikeroweWORKS has been offering FULL-RIDE Read More
OFF THE WALL – Fan Mail Mixup
Sadly, today’s letter comes from a former fan. “I called Mikes company to request an autograph for my son and the secretary (male) said, “Even if I knew his representative, I wouldn’t give you any information. * hangs up* MIKE, you just lost a family of fans. Next time, choose a better company. Katie Bremer Chen” Hi Katie This is indeed, troubling. Like you, I’ve been operating under the assumption that everything I read on the world wide web is one hundred percent true. Alas, your note, and some recent correspondence with a deposed Nigerian Prince, have lead me to Read More
Want to Know what Led to Dirty Jobs & the Destruction of my Prior Career?
Dirty Jobs has been out of production for two years now, but not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me, “How did such a disgusting show ever get on the air?” Until now, that’s a question I’ve traditionally deflected. Partly because the answer involves a sewer, a rat, countless condoms, several million roaches, many hundreds of tampons, vomit, urine, and a slow moving river of crap that very nearly swallowed me up. It’s also mildly redemptive, as such stories go. And completely true. If you’re interested in the truth about the precise circumstances that led to Dirty Jobs, Read More
mrWF Scholarship Recipients from 2013
Here’s a video that will never go viral. It features no cats, no talking babies, and no grown-ups falling down the stairs. It’s just footage of a few regular guys making a case for welding, and personally thanking me for their mikeroweWORKS Scholarships. Posting it here feels a bit self-serving, but I’m doing it anyway because a) it’s short, b) it’s classy, c) it’s important, and d) it wouldn’t have happened without you. Like most foundations, mikeroweWORKS raises money and gives it away. If you’ve purchased a copy Profoundly Disconnected, or a Work Smart AND Hard poster, or a S.W.E.A.T. Read More