Disabled high school students interested in careers in collision repair were recently treated to music and motor vehicle mending at a Chicago-area body shop, according to a story in The Herald-News.
Gregory Bucciarelli, owner of Greg’s Body Shop, invited the students to his shop as part of Disability Mentoring Day, which he has participated in for more than 10 years. His formula is simple: play guitar for them, give them some free swag, get them to laugh, then show them around the shop.
According to representatives of the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, the Disability Mentoring Day benefits both the business owners, who lose their fear of working with disabled individuals, and the students, who gain mentors for life.
The Herald-News reported that the teens at Greg’s Body Shop learned all facets of the collision repair process, including estimating, repairing, refinishing and detailing.
“I allowed them to touch and feel, on a limited basis, what was going on,” Bucciarelli told The Herald-News. “I made sure they got to sand a little bit and touch the bodywork. They got their hands dirty.”
More information:
Read the full story in The Herald-News
