CREF invites businesses to sponsor work uniforms for high school, college collision programs

Uniforms will create a more professional learning environment for students, preparing them for potential careers in the collision industry. Each local student can be sponsored for $50, which provides the student with a Cintas work shirt and pants. Businesses that sponsor more than 20 uniforms can have their corporate logo featured on a patch on the front of the uniform shirts. Students of Barry Roopnarine, a teacher in the collision program at Edison Technical High School, received donations from The Collision Centers of New York Inc. for the 2017-2018 school year.

Andrew Siringo (left) and Madison Larson (right) from The Collision Centers, present one of the uniforms they donated to the Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School Collision Program to Preeti Singh, a senior in the collision program. The donations to the school located in Jamaica, New York were made as part of a Collision Repair Education Foundation program to support students training for a career in the collision industry.

Roopnarine said, “The sponsorship… allows the students to maintain a professional look, it also makes them aware that the collision industry is taking their education seriously as they are the future of the industry.”

Participating businesses can sponsor schools of their choice, or they can choose to be paired with a school in need by the Education Foundation. The donation program can lead to long term relationships between professionals and school programs that are preparing the next generation of collision industry employees.

Madison Larson, Human Resources Representative from The Collision Centers of New York Inc., said, “As we move into 2018, it’s important to invest and encourage our next generation of technicians. These uniforms for the Thomas E. Edison auto body program allows the students to feel like they are a part of something special, it creates confidence and excitement for the program. The program is very dedicated to its students and we are thrilled to be a part of that.”

Sponsorship and donations are facilitated through the Collision Repair Education Foundation, but sponsoring businesses are invited to visit the school to meet the students and distribute the new uniforms.

Roopnarine said, “Having members from the Collision Centers visit the classroom allowed students the opportunity to explore career options and gain a deeper understanding of the importance of their education.”

Zachary Concepcion, a 12th grade collision student at Edison Technical High School and recipient of uniform donations in 2017, said the donation shows him and his classmates where they can find opportunities in the industry. “It gives us a reason to never be unprepared… and makes us look really professional as a class.”

Companies interested in sponsoring the uniform donation program through the Collision Repair Education Foundation for the 2018-2019 school year should contact Collision Repair Education Foundation Director of Development, Brandon Eckenrode, at [email protected] or 847-463-5244.

Roopnarine said, “Through partnership between collision education programs and collision industry associates it can lead to opportunities to help fill the technician shortage. Without the efforts of the Collision Repair Education Foundation this opportunity would not have been possible as they help form a link between collision repair schools and the collision industry."