Pictured are the Collision Repair students (in blue shirts) and representatives of other student organizations on campus which held fund-raisers to provide car seats and gas cards. On the far right are Constance, recipient of the 2008 Chevy Impala; Mary Ellen Schaid, Executive Director of Safe Passage; Dr. Laurie Borowicz, President of Kishwaukee College; and Greg Brink, Collision Repair Tech instructor.
The Kishwaukee College Collision Repair Technology (CRT) program participated in the Recycled Rides program offered by the National Auto Body Council and a local DeKalb woman received a vehicle. Greg Brink, CRT faculty member who reached out to the Recycled Rides Program, said, “Having a reliable vehicle is so important, especially in this area. We are glad we could work on a project that really made a difference in someone’s life.”
According to the National Auto Body Council website, Recycled Rides is a way that insurers, CRT educational programs, CRT professionals and parts vendors can collaborate on getting much needed vehicles on the road and make a positive impact on the local community, too.
“Through the generosity of State Farm®,” Brink stated, “we had our first car for the Recycled Rides Program: a 2008 FlexFuel Chevy Impala.” The vehicle needed some reconditioning work and the CRT and Automotive Tech programs at Kish collaborated on the project. AutoZone in DeKalb donated parts and LKQ donated new tires for the vehicle.
Brink and a small committee at Kishwaukee College selected Safe Passage in DeKalb as the local charity that would choose a recipient for the car. Mary Ellen Shaid, Executive Director of Safe Passage, and her staff then selected Constance (not her real name) to receive the car.
During the month of October as the donation event drew closer, campus student organizations stepped up. Student Government Association held bake sales and donated two $50 gas cards to help Constance start her car ownership with a full tank. H.O.P.E.S., a community service group for Criminal Justice students at the College, raised funds to purchase a car seats for Constance’s children.
The car was presented to Constance on campus with a small ceremony on November 9 that included words of welcome from Dr. Laurie Borowicz, President of Kishwaukee College; Greg Brink; and Mary Ellen Schaid. The car was under a tarp with a large “Kish-green” bow on the hood and was unveiled as the keys were handed to Constance.
Constance’s life is now on a one-way street to a better future, in a new-to- her 2008 Chevy Impala.
For more information on the national Recycled Rides Program, visit http://www.nationalautobodycouncil.org/programs/recycled-rides/.
For more information on the Recycled Ride Program and the Collision Repair Program at Kishwaukee College, contact Greg Brink at 815-825- 9416 or at gregory.brink@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
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