CREF Needs YOUR Help Connecting Tomorrow’s Technicians with Today’s Best Resources!

Created for Collision Repair Education Foundation

It’s no secret that collision repair students require resources to learn, but with limited budgets and rising costs, collision instructors often face challenges in adequately equipping their programs with everything they need to train these young professionals to put their best foot forward.

For the past 33 years, the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) has supported thousands of collision repair students and over 800 educational programs by facilitating over $130 million worth of in-kind donations, thanks to the generosity of its industry partners. Now, it’s easier than ever for industry organizations to offer resources through The Donation Exchange, powered by CREF!

Designed as a “designated and uninterrupted bridge” between donors and collision schools, The Donation Exchange provides a forum for donors to offer everything from safety equipment and tools to paint and body materials and even parts, ensuring that collision repair education programs are better equipped to provide excellent training that produces the qualified, entry-level technicians the industry desperately needs.

These in-kind donations can make all the difference for instructors striving to empower students with the knowledge and skill sets they’ll need to soar in their future careers.

“We are the only collision repair program that has earned SkillsUSA’s highest honor, which is the Model of Excellence Award. What is our secret? Well, it’s not our humble budget of $4,000!” quips Ken Cook, collision instructor at Norwalk High School (Norwalk, CA), crediting his program’s success to the industry support facilitated through CREF. “We have received endless in-kind donations such as tools, equipment and consumables from CREF. In a single day’s training activities, my students are going learn how to use stud welders, which were donated to us through CREF. It gets better though, because my students will be practicing on quarter panels, which were also supplied through CREF. My students will even be wearing CREF donations, in the form of safety glasses. They say that one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure. I say that one company’s excess can become my students’ success!”

Schools need the resources to train in an environment that represents the shops in which students will work. Unfortunately, schools are sometimes unable to obtain the essentials that are necessary to provide the training. Because consumables and safety equipment require an ongoing investment, the most common needs reported by collision education programs include items such as tape, sandpaper, safety glasses/goggles, ear plugs, safety gloves, respirators, paint and related supplies, other materials and parts.

“We had two rolls of two-inch tape left,” recalls Randy Dunn of Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Morristown, TN). “I gave one to the students and told them to be real conservative because we only had one roll left. Then, a truck shows up with five skids of tape. The students and I were so excited. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“In years past, I would be wondering how we can do this cheaper,” admits Sean Connors of Saginaw Career Complex (Saginaw, MI). “I can’t thank CREF and its supporters enough for all you do for us. It truly helps; words can’t describe how much everything you do helps us out. Today’s lesson was taping up the side of a car, and in years past, I would be wondering how we can do this cheaper using less tape, but thanks to CREF, I had 58 students taping away.”

Chad Crum from Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Knoxville, TN) points out that the tools and products his program receives also has a favorable impact on student morale. “It felt like Christmas morning when my students opened the donation box from CREF. These donations mean so much to learning institutions like ours. The students asked, ‘Can we spray with this spray gun?’ I said, ‘It’s yours, of course you can!’ You guys put a smile on their faces!”

The Donation Exchange makes it easy for industry organizations to get involved in making this type of impact. “It’s super easy to use and quick to add available donations,” shares Chris Jevons, Commercial Director for JTAPE, an early participant in the pilot program. “When we registered last August, we simply filled out a template and input the product information. CREF was very accommodating throughout the process; they walked us through each step, asked for feedback and incorporated new ideas to improve the platform.”

As The Donation Exchange grows, more schools are registering and submitting their requests, and Jevons views the system as an improved way to support collision education programs. “We don’t have to reach out to the schools to find out what supplies they need. They search the platform to identify the products they’re lacking and submit a request. We receive an email notification, and through the system, we can track which orders have already been shipped. So far, we’ve donated around $15,000 in JTAPE products to schools around the United States.”

Jevons believes it’s important to support the next generation of collision repair professionals because “looking at the spectrum of people who work in our industry, we’ve seen challenges in attracting younger people for at least 10 years, largely because of the development of shiny new industries related to online advancements; however, the collision repair field has a lot to offer – we just need to show students all the benefits a collision career can offer them! The perception of the industry and dwindling school budgets has created hurdles, but CREF has done a great job of promoting this field and tipping the balance to help instructors deal with budgetary constraints and reduced enrollment.

“But they cannot do it without support from industry organizations who recognize the value of attracting young people to collision repair,” he adds. “Without new talent coming into shops, our industry won’t exist. JTAPE recognized the value of getting involved as soon as the opportunity arose because it aligned with how we see the industry and provided an outlet for our desire to help ensure its future. We got to see the impact at SEMA 2024 when we met some of the instructors whose programs benefitted from our donations. Their gratitude really reinforced the importance of helping them enhance their programs and showed how these donations lead to increased enrollment when students see how much the industry needs them.”

Donating supplies through The Donation Exchange also provides an optimal opportunity to take their involvement to the next level. For example, one of JTAPE’s regional representatives visited a local donation recipient to offer instruction of the use of JTAPE’s masking products. That engagement led to him volunteering as a SkillsUSA judge which allowed him to spend even more time helping students develop new skills. “It’s great exposure for our business, but it’s also a really impactful way of supporting the next generation that we can all feel good about,” Jevons insists.

Jevons and his brother Nick run their family business, so he recognizes that it’s much easier for them to get on-board with an innovative idea like The Donation Exchange, but he has faith that corporate organizations will find the venture worthwhile as well. “It’s great exposure for new industry professionals to use our products during their educational experience. Our donations help students get the education they need to thrive in their careers. I implore other industry suppliers and manufacturers to register on The Donation Exchange to help make a difference. If you do not have the authority to make that business decision, connect your company’s decision-maker(s) with CREF.

“There are many ways for the industry to get involved with the Foundation,” Jevons acknowledges, issuing a “rallying cry” for donors to register for The Donation Exchange because it’s a “great way of actioning real impact that you can see. Schools tell us which products they need, and after we supply them with donations to meet their needs, we can engage with those schools on a personal level for even greater impact on those students who are our industry’s future.”

Donors gain a sense of pride in their support of collision schools and students through CREF, knowing that 100% of in-kind donations directly support the Foundation’s mission to “create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities.” CREF’s commitment to that mission can be substantiated by viewing its four-star rating on Charity Navigator. Donations are tax-deductible.

Build brand recognition and enhance public relations by ensuring future collision repair professionals have access to the resources that will help them make the most of their education, empowering them on their journey to begin successful lifelong collision careers.

Donors can also feel good that The Donation Exchange supports environmental sustainability efforts by recycling products to be used as effective training resources, reducing waste by eliminating landfill disposal and keeping deliveries local, which lowers carbon emissions related to long-distance delivery.

It’s easy to register! Donors simply create an account at donation-exchange.org/donors, and list your company’s available resources to make a positive impact on collision repair education programs near you! The Donation Exchange even offers hands-on reporting that allows you to track your contributions.

Instructors can register at donation-exchange.org/schools to start searching for the items their programs need to allow them to provide the best education and training to their students.

Step-by-step registration tutorials can be found at youtube.com/@collisioneducationfoundation/videos.

CREF is grateful to the industry partners that have already contributed to making The Donation Exchange a valuable resource for collision schools: the Adelmann Family, Allstate, Audatex (a Solera company), Axalta, CCC Intelligent Solutions, Classic Collision, CollisionRight, Copart, Crash Champions, Cumberland Products Inc., DeVilbiss, Empire Auto Parts, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Farmers Insurance, FujiSpray, GEICO, Gerber Glass & Collision, GM, Hertz, Honda, Indasa, Insurance Auto Auctions, 3M, LKQ, I-CAR, Mitchell (an Enlyte company), Nationwide, National Coatings & Supplies | Single Source, OEM1Stop, PPG, Pro-Stat, State Farm and the Wesco Group.

“CREF envisions a world where qualified, properly trained and immediately productive entry-level technicians are ready to meet the industry’s current and future demands,” shares CREF Executive Director Brandon Eckenrode, who encourages collision businesses to invest in their futures by registering at The Donation Exchange to ensure their future employees will have the knowledge and skills needed to productively join the workforce. “Together, we can make a positive impact on today’s students by arming them with the right resources to support their growth and help tomorrow’s technicians become the best they can be.”

Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist high school and college collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online.

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The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation, visit us online at: www.CollisionRepairEducationFoundation.org.

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If you would like more information about this topic or any of CREF’s initiatives, please email info@ed-foundation.org.