Foundation offers $50,000 school grant program

The Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2011 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover $50,000 school grant application is now available for secondary and post-secondary collision programs.

The application is available to download from the Education Foundation’s website at < a href=http://www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org>www.collisioneducationfoundation.org, and must be postmarked by August 31. The winning school will be announced during SEMA 2011. Instructors are advised to begin the application early due to the required application information.

The Collision Repair Education Foundation offers five top reasons how the current and future state of the industry can benefit by industry professionals getting involved and assisting their local school’s collision program in the Makeover’s application process:

• Your local school’s collision program might be selected as the winner and have their $50,000 wish list fulfilled. Through up-to-date tools, equipment, and supplies, a student’s education can be dramatically impacted.
• In 2009, the non-winning schools who applied for the Makeover grant received (in total) $175,000 worth of tools, supplies, and equipment. Schools that do not apply do not have the opportunity to receive these donations.
• When the Education Foundation receives large donations from industry supporters, the Education Foundation turns to the Makeover applicant schools first for these and other donation opportunities.
• Interacting with your local school’s collision program, the instructor, and their students is a win-win for the industry through bridging the gap between current and future industry members.
• Industry professionals assisting the school through the application process will see opportunities where current school needs could be addressed by local industry businesses and members.

The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover 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, UT). The 2010 applicants have already had the opportunity to receive items from Airgas, Fibre-Glass Evercoat, Sherwin-Williams, UltraWiz, as well as Cintas technician shirts. With the generous support from the industry, the Education Foundation is looking to at least double the total support from 2009 to 2010 for schools that applied for the grant.