Jan. 17, 2023—The Collision Repair Education Foundation is celebrating a successful 2022 that saw the donation of $12 million to support students and also announced that scholarship applications for 2023 are available now.
According to a news release, 35,000 collision repair students benefitted from CREF Benchmark Grants, distributed to 70 schools in 2022 worth a total of $436,000. CREF also distributed in-kind donations worth approximately $10 million in the form of parts, products, safety equipment and more. Other initiatives included Transportation Career Fairs and the Hood Master Challenge and PiN Master Event.
“CREF is incredibly proud of everything we accomplished last year … and we accomplished a LOT,” said CREF Managing Director Brandon Eckenrode, via the press release. “From school grants to scholarships to representation at various events around the country to raise awareness of the many wonderful opportunities available in this industry—none of this would have been possible without the continued support of our generous industry partners. By working together, we’re creating stronger school programs and a more qualified future workforce.”
Students hoping to secure some of that support for themselves can now apply for one of CREF's Student Scholarships as of Jan. 13. In 2022, 46 students received scholarships worth a total of $150,000. Applications will be accepted through March 9, 2023, and are available on the CREF website.
“Hopefully, this process will help students envision the many opportunities available to them, and we’re hopeful that industry organizations could even extend future job offers,” says Melissa Marscin, director of operations and administration, in the press release. “Helping students pursue a collision education without accruing debt has made a huge impact for hundreds of student over the years, and CREF is thankful for the industry supporters who have made this possible by continuing to step up and donate to fund these annual scholarships.”
