The Collision Repair Education Foundation announced more than $600,000 in Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grants supported by donations from industry partners and local I-CAR committee fundraising activities.

The announcement came during the foundation’s annual reception, held on Oct. 31 at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel during the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grants will support 162 schools in 38 states with more than 6,000 students enrolled in collision repair training programs.

The Makeover grant program incorporates the Foundation’s Collision School Career Readiness Benchmark that the foundation launched in 2016. Under the new program developed by the foundation, schools are classified into three tiers based upon criteria including the number of hours of instruction; curriculum in place; and what tools, equipment and supplies a school uses to prepare their students for employment in the collision industry.

The grants awarded will assist schools to advance to the next tier, or to allow top-tier schools to further expand their program’s capabilities.

“School collision programs are facing tremendous pressure on their budgets,” said Melissa Marscin, director of operations/administration for the foundation. “It is difficult for many to maintain their program at current capabilities, no less increase their abilities to satisfy the industry’s current and future needs for its workforce. The Makeover grant program is designed to help collision schools get the much needed tools, equipment and supplies they couldn’t get otherwise and increase their capabilities.”

The grants awarded are posted below.

I-CAR Committee Awards

Atlanta I-CAR Committee

• Athens Technical College (Athens) – $15,000
• Maxwell High School of Technology (Lawrenceville, Ga.) – $15,000
• North Georgia Technical College (Clarkesville, Ga.) – $15,000

Cincinnati I-CAR Committee

• Butler Tech (Hamilton, Ohio) – $12,500

Greater Philadelphia I-CAR Committee

• Hodgson Vo-Tech (Newark, Del.) – $10,000
• Dauphin County Technical School (Harrisburg, Pa.) –  $3,000
• Indiana County Technology Center (Indiana, Pa.) – $3,000
• Susquehanna County Career Technology Center (Springville, Pa.) – $3,000

Northern Virginia I-CAR Committee

• C.S. Monroe Technology Center (Leesburg, Va.) – $10,500
• Chantilly HS STEM Academy (Chantilly, Va.) – $10,500
• Dowell J Howard Center (Winchester, Va.) – $10,500
• Fauquier High School (Warrenton, Va.) – $5,500

Omaha I-CAR Committee

• Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, Neb.) – $1,000

Phoenix I-CAR Committee

• Gateway Community College (Phoenix) – $10,000

Raleigh I-CAR Committee

• Wayne Community College (Goldsboro, N.C.) – $11,000

St. Louis I-CAR Committee

• Lake Career & Technical Center (Camdenton, Mo.) – $2,500
• Lewis and Clark Career Center (Saint Charles, Mo.) – $2,500
• Nichols Career Center (Jefferson City, Mo.) – $2,500
• North Technical High School (Florissant, Mo.) – $2,500
• Ranken Technical College (St. Louis) – $2,500
• Rolla Technical Institute, (Rolla, Mo.) – $2,500
• South Technical High School (Sunset Hills, Mo.) – $2,500

Tennessee I-CAR Committees

Nashville Committee

• TCAT (Shelbyville, Tenn.) – $10,000
• TCAT (Livingston, Tenn.) – $10,000

Knoxville Committee

• TCAT (Knoxville, Tenn.) – $5,000
• TCAT (Morristown, Tenn.) – $5,000
• South Doyle High School (Knoxville, Tenn.) – $5,000

Texas I-CAR Committees (Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio)

• Alvin ISD, Hensler CTE Center (Manvel, Texas) – $1,200
• Kingwood Park High School (Kingwood, Texas) – $1,200
• Stuart Career Center (Baytown, Texas) – $1,200

Company Awards

American Family Insurance Grants

• Aims Community College (Windsor, Colo.) – $1,000
• Idaho State University College of Technology (Pocatello, Idaho) – $1,000
• Richland Community College (Decatur, Ill.) – $1,000
• North Lawrence Career Center (Bedford, Ind.) – $1,000
• Southwestern Community College (Creston, Iowa) – $1,000
• Washburn University Institute of Technology (Topeka, Kan.) – $1,000
• South Central College (North Mankato, Minn.) – $1,000
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton, N.D.) – $1,000
• Miami Valley Career Center (Englewood, Ohio) – $1,000
• Clackamas Community College (Oregon City, Ore.) – $1,000
• Walla Walla Community College (Walla Walla, Wash.) – $1,000
• Southwest Tech (Fennimore, Wis.) – $1,000

CCC Classroom Enhancement Grant

• CATEC (Charlottesville, Va.) – $11,000

Chicago School Grant sponsored by Audatex, a Solera Company, Chrysler, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Polyvance, Rust-Oleum and Valspar

• Kennedy King College (Chicago) – $22,500

Hertz Grants

• Judson High School (Converse, Texas) – $5,000
• Kingwood Park High School (Kingwood, Texas) – $5,000
• Norwalk High School (Norwalk, Calif.) – $5,000
• Texas Southmost College (Brownsville, Texas) – $5,000

Lon Baudoux Legacy Grant

• Chippewa Valley Technical College (Eau Claire, Wis.) – $10,000

Nationwide Insurance Grant

• College of Alameda (Alameda, Calif.) – $10,000

ProSpot Grants

• Austin Community College (Austin, Texas)
• Berks Career and Technology Center (Oley, Pa.)
• CA BOCES-CTE Center @ Olean (Olean, N.Y.)
• Essex Technical High School (Hathorne, Mass.)
• Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, Wis.)
• John A. Logan College (Carterville, Ill.)
• Lex La-Ray Technical Center (Lexington, Mo.)
• Lorenzo Walker Technical College (Naples, Fla.)
• Southeast Community College (Milford, Neb.)
• United Technical Center (Clarksburg, W.V.)

Service King Grants

• Cleveland Community College (Shelby, N.C.) – $3,000
• GST Boces Coopers Education Center (Painted Post, N.Y.) – $3,000
• TCAT Memphis (Memphis, Tenn.) – $3,000
• Texas State Technical College (Waco, Texas) – $3,000
• Warren Tech (Lakewood, Colo.) – $3,000

TechForce Foundation Grants

• Mid-Coast School of Technology (Rockland, Maine) – $1,250
• Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School (Littleton, Mass.) – $1,250
• Wichita Area Technical College (Wichita, Kan.) – $1,250

Thomas Coleman Memorial Grant (sponsored by 1st Certified Collision Centers)

• Cerritos College (Norwalk, Calif.) – $2,000

Collision repair facilities, insurance companies and suppliers interested in supporting school grants should contact foundation Director of Development Brandon Eckenrode at (847) 463-5244.

Article courtesy BodyShop Business.