3M, CREF announce first round of grant winners for Hire Our Heroes campaign

3M and the Collision Repair Education Foundation are proud to announce the first round of award winners for the 3M Hire Our Heroes Campaign.

Fifty-nine grant winners, including 54 military members and five family members of veterans, were selected from applicants all across the United States.  Each recipient will receive a $2,500 grant to purchase tools and equipment needed to start their career in collision repair. 3M recognizes the need for qualified technicians in the collision repair industry and has created an opportunity to help returning veterans and their families that have chosen to pursue careers in the collision repair industry.  Hire Our Heroes raises funds to help offset the costs of tuition, books, tools and equipment for returning veterans and their families.   3M has partnered with the Collision Repair Education Foundation to award and administer the grants that are intended for these deserving applicants. “The Collision Repair Education Foundation does an excellent job of identifying great candidates for grants and promoting high-quality education for collision repair professionals at schools throughout the country,” said Dale Ross, U.S. Marketing Operations Manager for 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “We’re proud to work with them to support training for these deserving veterans and their family members.”

The 3M Hire Our Heroes campaign has a goal to donate up to $250,000 to benefit returning veterans and their families. The donation is based on the sales of select popular 3M products.  The campaign began February 1, 2013 and will conclude on September 30, 2013.  Body shop owners who would like to participate can contact their local distributor or 3M sales representative for details, or go to www.3mcollision.com/hireourheroes.
 
Veterans and their immediate families may apply for a 3M Hire Our Heroes grant until July 31, 2013, through   www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org.  For a complete list of the grant award winners please visit www.3mcollision.com/hireourheroes.
 
Ultimately the 3M Hire Our Heroes campaign is supporting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in raising awareness for hiring America’s heroes and helping drive employment in the collision repair industry for these deserving veterans and their families. 3M is proud to have the honor of being a national board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program.
 
For more information contact Ted Guck, 3M Automotive Aftermarket, at [email protected].
 
About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs about 88,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

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