Keenan Auto Body, a multi-shop operator based in the greater Philadelphia area, recently restored and delivered a Ronald McDonald statue to a local emergency shelter.
Keenan received the interesting request to restore the Wesley House icon through an email; however, company COO and vice president Michael LeVasseur claims this was not the first time Keenan received a request to restore something out of the ordinary.
“We are no strangers to rehabbing and painting abstract items and characters like Ronald,” he said. “In the late ’90s, we were hired to repair and paint the animals on top of the Frontier Saloon in Ridley Park, followed by repairing and painting the Nittany Lion at the Brandywine campus of Penn State and the paint blob located on Broad Street at the PA Academy of Fine Arts, the oldest academy of art in the county, so it didn’t take long to decide that we were on board.”
Max Sorensen, Keenan Auto Body West location manager, mentioned that this was a very special project for the team since the company included one of their Collision Repair Opportunity Program (CROP) students, Oscar Cantorian, in the process of restoring Ronald McDonald to a “better than factory” condition.
Keenan West head painter Nate Tarr, who was also involved in the restoration process, mentors Cantorian and explained his satisfaction with the student’s accomplishments.
“It felt good to see a student excel at such a detailed project and knowing that it was for charity made it feel that much better,” said Tarr.
“Thanks to Keenan Auto Body, Ronald McDonald is back,” said Sheiletta Corporal, shelter coordinator for the Wesley House.
The Wesley House is located at 701 Madison St. in Chester, Pa., and contains 17 rooms for families or single women. It is typically at full capacity of 70 people on any given day and serves an average of 240 individuals (75 households) per year. The Wesley House includes a computer training room for clients to improve their computer skills, search for employment and secure permanent housing.
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