Hoffman Estates, Ill. (January 4, 2023) –
The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is excited to announce that 27 secondary and post-secondary schools in the United States will benefit from Benchmark grants funded through the efforts of ten devoted I-CAR Committees. Various fundraising methods were employed, generating $163,000 in funds that will aid the industry’s future generation in becoming prepared for a career in collision repair.
“Our volunteers and committees do a masterful job at fundraising for their local schools,” said Terry Ticel, Director, Field Sales, Career & Technical Education, I-CAR. “Most of our volunteers are from the industry, so they understand and recognize the need for school and student support. Their influence in the industry promotes incredible sponsor support from manufacturers, suppliers and local businesses in their markets. We appreciate the time, talent and efforts of all our volunteers, which make these fundraising events a huge success.”
“The funding raised by these local volunteer I-CAR committees for their local collision programs is crucial for these programs to afford the needed tools, equipment, and supplies which their budgets don’t always allow for,” Brandon Eckenrode, Managing Director of the Foundation, shared. “Thank you to all the committees who have been active at the local level organizing these fundraisers with CREF! The local collision students seeing and meeting the industry members in their market is essential to keeping the students motivated to stay within the industry. We look forward to collaborating with even more I-CAR committees in 2023.”
The ten I-CAR Committees and the grants they bestowed include:
Atlanta I-CAR Committee
- Athens Technical College (Athens, GA): $10,000
- Etowah High School (Woodstock, GA): $15,000
- Maxwell High School of Technology (Lawrenceville, GA): $5,000
- North Georgia Technical College (Clarkesville, GA): $10,000
- Paulding County High School (Dallas, GA): $15,000
Broward County I-CAR Committee:
- Atlantic Technical College (Coconut Creek, FL): $5,000
- McFatter Technical College (Davie, FL): $5,000
- Sheridan Technical College (Hollywood, FL): $5,000
Columbus Collision Education Group
- Miami Valley Career and Technology Center (Englewood, OH): $2,500
Greater Philadelphia I-CAR Committee
- Berks Career & Technology Center (Oley, PA): $3,000
- Central Montco Technical High School (Plymouth Meeting, PA): $4,000
- Lebanon County Career & Technology Center (Lebanon, PA): $1,500
- Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport, PA): $4,000
Indianapolis I-CAR Committee
- Central Nine Career Center (Greenwood, IN): $5,000
- Walker Career Center (Indianapolis, IN): $5,000
Knoxville I-CAR Committee
- TCAT (Knoxville, TN): $5,000
- TCAT (Morristown, TN): $5,000
- Greene Technical Center (Greeneville, TN): $2,500
Nashville I-CAR Committee
- Lincoln College of Technology (Nashville, TN): $5,000
- Northwest High School (Clarksville, TN): $13,000
Palm Beach I-CAR Committee
- South Tech Academy (Boynton Beach, FL): $5,000
Phoenix I-CAR Committee
- East Valley Institute of Technology (Mesa, AZ): $10,000
- Gateway Community College Central City Campus (Phoenix, AZ): $10,000
- West-MEC (Phoenix, AZ): $5,000
St. Louis I-CAR Committee
- Lewis and Clark Career Center (St. Charles, MO): $2,500
- North Technical High School (Florissant, MO): $2,500
- South Technical High School (Sunset Hills, MO): $2,500
Eligibility for these awards was achieved by applying for the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2022 Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark Grant. The Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark Grants recognize schools that excel at educating students in collision repair, but due to strained school budgets, the programs require additional financial assistance. Recipient schools use these funds to provide the tools, equipment and supplies necessary to enhance their students’ learning experience and elevate the caliber of their graduates, ensuring that graduates are prepared to successfully enter the workforce upon graduation. Applications for the 2023 Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark Grants will be available online in Spring 2023.
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist secondary and post-secondary collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online.
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The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools, and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation, visit us online at: www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org.
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If you would like more information about this topic or any of CREF’s initiatives, please email info@ed-foundation.org.
