The Collision Repair Education Foundation will be presenting Lake
Technical Center of Eustis, Fla., with a “Mini-Makeover” during the
International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) Thursday, Oct. 6
in Orlando, Fla. Lake Technical Center was the only school in Florida
that applied for the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2010
$50,000 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant.
Due to the school’s proximity to NACE in Orlando, the Education
Foundation has been gathering industry supporters/donors to fulfill
portions of the school’s $50,000 wish list that they provided as part of
the grant application. School instructors, administration and their
collision students will be on hand during a presentation at NACE to
showcase how the Mini-Makeover donors have benefited the school’s
collision program.
The presentation will take place from 1-2 p.m. in the ASRW Media Center
located inside the Orange County Convention Center’s West Building.
Scott Kruger, executive director of the Collision Repair Education
Foundation, said, “Lake Technical Center was one of 52 schools
nationwide that applied for the Foundation’s 2010 Ultimate Collision
Education Makeover grant and the only school in the state of Florida to
apply. As industry professionals from across the country will be
gathering in Orlando for NACE this fall, we thought it would be a great
opportunity to not only highlight the Makeover grant program, but also
help this local school through the support of our donors and supporters.
We invite industry professionals attending NACE and ASRW to attend the
presentation to hear how Lake Technical Center’s collision program has
benefited through the support of industry donations and to learn how to
get involved with helping schools in your local area.”
Lake Technical Center Director Diane W. Culpepper, PhD said, "Our
sincere thanks to the Collision Repair Education Foundation for all
their support for Lake Technical Center and our Auto Collision and
Repair program. As our school budget continues to be cut, it is amazing
to see business and industry step up to ensure that our students learn
in the best environment possible. We couldn’t do it without you!"
“Giving back to the collision repair industry is a major focus of NACE
each year, and we’re happy to ‘pay it forward’ and provide a forum for
such a worthwhile event,” said Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff
executive. “We look forward to hosting this deserving school and
celebrating the generosity of the industry.”
The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant debuted in 2009
when Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School (Jefferson Hills,
Pa.) was chosen as the recipient of the award. In addition to Steel
Center AVTS receiving $80,000 from the award, the schools that applied
for the 2009 grant still benefited from the Ultimate Collision Education
Makeover program. In total, the 35 schools each received an average of
$5,000 in products, supplies and equipment for a total value over
$175,000. Every school that applied for the grant received at least one
item to benefit their students and collision program. In 2010, the award
went to Bridgerland Applied Technology College (Logan, Utah). Through
the generous support of industry members, Bridgerland’s collision
program is on track to receive over $100,000 in donated tools, equipment
and supplies.
School collision programs can download the Makeover application from the Education Foundation’s website, which must be postmarked by Aug. 31, 2011.
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.
More information:
Companies and individuals interested in getting involved with the Foundation
and joining its efforts to support the future of the collision industry
can contact Foundation Associate Director of Development Brandon
Eckenrode, at (847) 463-5244 or Brandon.Eckenrode@ed foundation.org.