HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – December 4, 2012 – The Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2013 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover $50,000 school grant application is now available online at the Education Foundation’s web site (www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org), and must be completed by May 31, 2013. Two $50,000 grants (one secondary, one post-secondary) will be awarded this year as well as several secondary prizes of $10,000. Instructors are advised to begin the application early and industry professionals are encouraged to get involved with the Makeover grant by working with their local school’s collision instructors to help them apply. The Makeover grant is available to secondary and post-secondary collision school programs nationwide, with priority going to not-for-profit/public schools. The winning schools will be announced during SEMA 2013.
As part of the Makeover grant application, schools provide their own, itemized wish list, which can include any tools, supplies, and equipment that are needed by the collision program. Each of the winning schools will have their $50,000 wish list fulfilled through the Collision Repair Education Foundation and industry donors/supporters. The goal of the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant is to honor a school that has been doing an outstanding job in educating students in collision repair, but needs some financial assistance to improve their program’s teaching materials and equipment. With strained school budgets, the Education Foundation and industry supporters have the opportunity to bridge the program’s financial gap and to make a difference in the lives of the students studying collision repair.
Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Grant Programs Melissa Marscin noted, “We encourage all collision school programs to apply for this grant as we distribute the items on the all of the applicant schools wish lists out to the industry seeking in-kind product donations, not just the winning schools. Over the four years of the Makeover grant, the non-winning applicant schools have received over $500,000 in donations due to the fact we know specifically what they are in need of through the information listed within their Makeover application. Apply for our Makeover grant and invest in your collision programs and students future!”
The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant debuted in 2009 when Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School (Jefferson Hills, PA) was chosen as the recipient of the award. In 2010, the award went to Bridgerland Applied Technology College (Logan, UT). In 2011, Applied Technology Center (Rock Hill, SC) was the recipient and in 2012, Nichols Career Center (Jefferson City, MO) and Manhattan Area Technical College (Manhattan, KS) were the winners. As an added benefit to the program, the schools that applied for the 2009-2012 grants who did not win still benefited from the Ultimate Collision Education Makeover program by receiving various donated supplies, tools, and equipment.
The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant and other collision student and school support opportunities provided by the Collision Repair Education Foundation are made possible through industry donations. If you are interested in getting involved with the Foundation and joining its efforts to support the future of the collision industry, please contact Foundation Director of Development, Brandon Eckenrode at 847.463.5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org.
