Connor Rolfe had the surprise of a lifetime when he was awarded a scholarship at his graduation party and 18th birthday celebration.
Expecting his automotive instructor Jack Stow to bring the 1992 Ford Mustang GT he worked on that was featured in Tomorrow’s Technician to show his family, Connor was surprised to open the trailer and find a huge lime green tool box and alumni waiting for him in the trailer.
A recent 2018 graduate of the Career & Technical Education Center (CTEC) of North Kansas City Schools, Connor is getting ready to interview with the Kansas City maintenance department. His automotive instructor Jack Stow, knew Connor would have to provide his own tools for the job and wanted to reward him for all his hard work.
“I have an agreement with NAPA and O’Reilly’s that they make yearly donations into the Education Foundation for my school district,” said CTEC automotive instructor Jack Stow. “My students can apply for scholarships that are placed into their school account when they go to college.”
“I asked my representatives from NAPA and O’Reilly’s if they would donate tools instead of making a deposit in the Education Foundation account. They were all for it.”
From there, Stow put together a basic tool list for O’Reilly Auto Parts and NAPA purchased a lime green tool cabinet, a significant color for Connor.
“Connor is color blind and the only color he can actually see is lime green, which is obviously his favorite color,” adds Stow. “The box we found was the perfect color. Connor also is a huge Batman fan, so I knew we had to personalize the box with custom pinstripes and art. The electrician for my school district, Aaron Hagan, is an amazing pinstriper. He came up with a killer design and made the box 100% Connor’s.”
In addition to the tools and the custom tool cabinet, the Education Foundation also purchased a Milwaukee Tool Package and alumni from the CTEC automotive program purchased a Fluke multi-meter for Connor.
