Feb. 14, 2023–The Collision Repair Education Foundation received a tremendous amount of support from LKQ Corporation, with “over $175,000” being donated to CREF in recent months, according to a press release.
LKQ has been a supporter of CREF since 2010, though this past year the corporation has done even more for them, such as sponsoring the Foundation’s 2022 Summer Golf Fundraiser and “a variety of I-CAR Committee events that serve as fundraisers for local schools through CREF.” A “Transportation Student Career Fair” was also held by LKQ in Phoenix last April.
LKQ donated $30,000 to fund five Benchmark Grants in a show of support for CREF’s Support and Connect Initiative. Rolla Technical Institute of Rolla, Missouri, was given $10,000, with four other schools receiving $5,000 each. Those schools were: Baton Rouge Community College of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Southeast Community College of Milford, Nebraska; South Plains College of Levelland, Texas; and Dowell J Howard Center of Winchester, Virginia.
In 2023, CREF plans to use the remainder of the funds given to them to “fund an instructor training event” and to strengthen their “Career Awareness Initiative” by attending the 2023 American School Counselor Association.
CREF Director of Marketing and Project Management Amber Ritter has said more plans will be announced later this year.
