For their continued generous support of the ARA Foundation, Fred Dupy, president, American Party Rental, Austin, Texas, and his wife, Monica, have been recognized with the philanthropic organization’s highest honors — the James Keenan Commemorative Award and the 1976 Club Award.
Fred, who has been serving on the ARA Foundation board since 2018, including as chair in 2020, was presented the awards during an ARA Foundation meeting at American Rental Association (ARA) headquarters in Moline on Nov. 30, 2021, because they were not able to attend the awards ceremony during The ARA Show™ in Las Vegas this past October.
The James Keenan Commemorative Award is named in honor of ARA past president and the ARA Foundation’s first president, James Keenan, who led the ARA Foundation for 10 years in the 1970s and 1980s. This award is presented to those who have contributed a total of $10,000 or more to the ARA Foundation over a five-year period.
The 1976 Club Award is presented in honor of the year the ARA Foundation was established. This award goes to those who have contributed a total of $5,000 or more to the ARA Foundation in a single year.
While the Dupys are honored to be recognized in this way, they never give in anticipation of receiving awards. “It is something that we do out of our hearts. It stems from the blessings that we have been given by the association. To me the association is the people. Our giving is always about the people. Our gifts are really our thank yous to our industry that has supported our family for 40 years. We could not be where we are without the ARA. ARA is all about passion, heart and dedication. The members of the ARA are extremely passionate people. They all do things from their heart and are dedicated to the people we serve. ARA gives all of us avenues to express all three,” Fred says.
The Dupys first started donating to the ARA Foundation because of their commitment to education. “Education is the real passionate stroke of how we started giving as a way to support the scholarships. Now that we have property in Galveston [Texas] and understand the destructive force of hurricanes, we also understand the importance and value of the Disaster Relief Grants offered by the ARA Foundation and the help they can offer rental businesses and their employees. But then every program of the ARA Foundation is structured in such a way to help the membership in ways they would never expect,” Fred says.
Being able to help fellow members through these programs makes serving on the ARA Foundation board of trustees so rewarding, he notes. “It is such an honor to serve on that board. It really is an exciting board to serve on because of all the programs the ARA Foundation offers. I was so glad that we were able to meet in person in November, too. It was an extremely meaningful meeting,” he says.
The Dupys share this award with Doron Broadfoot, president, The Rent-It Store, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Broadfoot served on the ARA Foundation board from 2009 to 2013, including as chair during 2011-2012.