The Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) announced it has raised funds to help a St. Louis auto body technician and his family who lost their house due to a historic flood.
The Dreppard family received a letter from their mortgage company informing them that their home was no longer considered to be in a flood plain. While they were glad for the chance to save some money after paying extra for flood insurance years, they could not have imagined what was to occur. Little did they know that, as the new year approached, St. Louis would experience historic flood levels that would leave their home damaged beyond repair.
Charlie Dreppard, a nine-year technician at Schaefer Autobody Centers in St. Louis and a 20-year collision industry veteran, soon had friends and family helping to move his furniture and belongings to higher ground. Charlie’s wife and four young children all went to their in-laws’ house to stay while they contemplated their next steps.
“We are very fortunate to have friends and family that helped us out during this flood event,” said Dreppard. “We were hopeful to get back into our home but, when that wasn’t possible, we knew we needed to get our lives and especially the kids to a more normal.”
After spending the past three months in their in-laws’ basement, Dreppard and his wife had found a new home. Knowing he had to replace daily living items and come up with a down payment, Dreppard, with prodding from coworkers, reached out to the CIF for assistance.
“CIF exists to help those within the collision industry that have experienced a catastrophic life event,” said CIF Board President Bill Shaw. “When we received Charlie’s request through our website, we immediately went to work to see what we could do. Through our sponsors and fundraising gala in Palm Springs, we were able to donate $5,000 to the Dreppard family for assistance with closing costs.”
The Dreppard family is now in their new home with their children each having bedrooms to sleep in. Charlie continues his work at Schaefer Autobody and is thankful for the collision industry’s support. “It is overwhelming to see the support my family and I received during this time. Thank you to CIF and all of the supporters that contributed to help get our lives back on track. This truly is an amazing industry with fantastic people working in it.”
For more information on the CIF, visit www.collisionindustryfoundation.org.
