70 schools apply for CREF's $50,000 makeover grant

Seventy schools from 31 states applied for the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2012 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover school grant in hopes that they will have their $50,000 wish list of collision program tools, equipment, and supplies fulfilled.

The winning schools will be announced during the Foundation’s industry reception from 9:30 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, October 30 at the Las Vegas Hotel (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton) during SEMA 2012.

Collision Repair Education Foundation Executive Director Clark Plucinski noted, “I would like to congratulate these Makeover applicant schools for taking the time to complete the application. The Education Foundation will work to see that all of the applicant schools will benefit from this grant. As the Education Foundation now has the itemized $50,000 wish lists for all of these collision programs, we can reach out to our industry partners and work to have those items donated. I would also invite industry members to contact the Education Foundation if they are interested in either making a monetary donation to a specific school(s) below to help fulfill their wish list or a product donation that would go towards one or several of these schools.”

The collision programs that applied for the 2012 Ultimate Collision Education Makeover grant include:

• Gadsden State Community College (Gadsden, AL)
• Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas (DeQueen, AR)
• ASU-Newport Marked Tree Campus (Marked Tree, AR)
• East Valley Institute of Technology (Mesa, AZ)
• SouthEast ROP – Norwalk High School (Norwalk, CA)
• Central County Occupational Center (San Jose, CA)
• Lake Technical Center (Eustis, FL)
• Seminole High School (Sanford, FL)
• Sarasota County Technical Institute (Sarasota, FL)
• Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (Valdosta, GA)
• Scott Community College (Bettendorf, IA)
• Dennis Technical Education Center (Boise, ID)
• Kaskaskia College (Centralia, IL)
• Kishwaukee College (Malta, IL)
• Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL)
• Area 30 Career Center (Greencastle, IN)
• Walker Career Center (Indianapolis, IN)
• Prosser Career Education Center (New Albany, IN)
• Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Education Center (Kansas, KS)
• Manhattan Area Technical College (Manhattan, KS)
• Washburn Institute of Technology, Washburn University of Topeka (Topeka, KS)
• Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School (Charlton, MA)
• Assabet Valley Technical High School (Marlboro, MA)
• Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School (New Bedford, MA)
• Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School (South Easton, MA)
• Tuscola Technology Center (Caro, MI)
• Regional Career Technical Center (Ypsilanti, MI)
• Hennepin Technical College (Brooklyn Park, MN) Northland Community and Technical College (Thief River Falls, MN)
• Ridgewater College (Willmar, MN)
• Minnesota State College Southeast Technical
  (Winona, MN)
• Cape Career and Technology Center (Cape Girardeau, MO)
• Nichols Career Center (Jefferson City, MO)
• Lex La-Ray Technical Center (Lexington, MO)
• Herndon Career Center (Raytown, MO)
• Rolla Technical Institute (Rolla, MO)
• Mississippi Gulf Coast College (Long Beach, MS)
• Stanly Community College (Albemarle, NC)
• South Piedmont Community College (Polkton, NC)
• Wilkes Community College (Wilkesboro, NC)
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton, ND)
• Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, NE)
• Thomas A. Edison Career & Technical Academy of
• Elizabeth High School (Elizabeth, NJ)
• Ellicottville Career & Technical Center (Ellicottville, NY)
• Thomas A. Edison CTE High School (Jamaica, NY)
• Morrisville State College (Morrisville, NY)
• Ulster BOCES (Port Ewen, NY)
• Ohio Technical College (Cleveland, OH)
• EHOVE Career Center (Milan, OH)
• Autry Technology Center (Enid, OK)
• Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (Lancaster, PA)
• Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School (Mechanicsburg, PA)
• Berks Career and Technology Center (Oley, PA)
• Warren County Career Center (Warren, PA)
• Chester County Technical College High School –
• Pennock’s Bridge (West Grove, PA)
• Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport, PA)
• Birchwood, DJJ (Columbia, SC)
• Tennessee Tech at Shelbyville (Shelbyville, TN)
• Austin Community College District (Austin, TX)
• Duncanville High School (Duncanville, TX)
• James Ratteree Career Development Center (Irving, TX)
• Texas State Technical College Waco (Waco, TX)
• Weber State University (Ogden, UT)
• Fairfax County Public Schools (Chantilly, VA)
• Chesapeake Center for Science and Technology (Chesapeake, VA)
• Green River Community College (Auburn, WA)
• Lake Washington Institute of Technology (Kirkland, WA)
• Walla Walla Community College (Walla Walla, WA)
• Freedom High School (Freedom, WI)

Since the first Makeover grant was awarded in 2009, the non-winning schools have received over $500,000 (in-total) in product donations and grants through the Collision Repair Education Foundation. Having each school’s itemized $50,000 wish list, the Education Foundation will not only be fulfilling the entire wish lists of the two 2012 Makeover winners but will also be aggressively working towards assisting the other 2012 applicant schools by distributing their wish lists of needed tools, equipment, and supplies to industry companies and asking for the items to be donated.

Industry organizations wishing to direct monetary support to any of these collision programs and help fulfill portions of their $50,000 wish lists should contact Education Foundation Associate Director of Development, Brandon Eckenrode at 847.463.5244.

To learn more about the Education Foundation and our nationwide efforts to support collision instructors and the future professionals of the collision industry can visit www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org.