Envisioning a Brighter Future: Industry Donates Record $726,500 to Collision Schools and Students via CREF 2025 Benchmark Awards

Created for Collision Repair Education Foundation

Helen Keller once said, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

Those words are truly embodied by the efforts of the collision repair industry which comes together each year to support future industry professionals by sponsoring the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s (CREF) Benchmark Award program, which provides funding to help instructors elevate their programs. This year’s donations broke past years’ record for giving to collision schools with the highest dollar amount to-date – $726,500 – bringing the total amount given via Benchmark Awards to over $5 million, with funds serving more than 50,000 collision students since the program’s inception in 2009.

Thanks to the generosity of nearly two dozen industry partners – both small and large – the Foundation is proud to announce that 104 collision schools will receive $726,500 in 2025 Benchmark Awards with funds helping instructors and their educational programs financially support efforts to educate the collision industry’s future workforce and ensure students graduate with the knowledge and skills to successfully fill the entry-level positions for which collision repair businesses so desperately need qualified help. Based on current enrollment numbers, these donations will immediately benefit the educational pursuits and make a difference in the lives of over 5,300 students training in these programs this year alone…and that doesn’t even account for the students who will benefit from these advancements in future years!

“Congratulations to the 2025 Benchmark Award winners!” offers CREF Executive Director Brandon Eckenrode. “CREF is incredibly grateful to our industry partners for their continued support which ensures that future collision professionals will have the skills needed to become a helpful addition to the workforce. I would also like to specifically recognize the instructors who put forth the time and energy to apply for the awards, demonstrating their commitment to bettering their collision programs and providing a high-quality technical education for their students that prepares them for entry-level employment in this industry.

“Collision repair programs – and those that move them forward – are the first line to supplying the industry’s future workforce,” he continues. “The funding received via CREF’s Benchmark Awards will help instructors build and innovate to meet the industry’s needs, despite contending with limited budgets. CREF is honored to play the unique role of directing industry support to collision programs in need and being a part of these students’ journeys into an exciting career path.”

“We are very proud to be able to fund so many 2025 Benchmark Awards which will have a positive effect on thousands of students’ educational experiences and help prepare them for their future careers in collision,” agrees CREF Director of Operations and Impact Melissa Marscin. “We cannot thank the sponsors enough for their dedication to supporting the next generation of collision repairers through their educational institutions. That support enables these schools to better train the industry’s future workforce and ensure their students will have a great advantage as they pursue collision careers.

“Collision repair training programs face tremendous budgetary pressure which makes it difficult for many instructors to even maintain their program at current capabilities, let alone invest in increasing their abilities to satisfy the industry’s current and future workforce needs,” she adds. “The Foundation’s Benchmark Awards recognize schools that have been doing an outstanding job in educating students in collision repair by providing some financial assistance to improve their program’s teaching materials and equipment. CREF is honored to help bridge this financial gap and make a difference in the lives of the students studying collision repair – thanks to the generosity of our industry, which enables us to actively ensure high school and college collision school programs graduate well-trained and capable collision students who are prepared to enter the industry as viable employees.”

Recipients of the 2025 Benchmark Awards were announced and recognized at CREF’s Benchmark Awards Breakfast, held on November 5 in Las Vegas during the 2025 SEMA Show.

The Enterprise Mobility Foundation demonstrated the value it puts on the next generation of collision repair professionals through an impressive display of generosity in 2025. The organization’s donation of $75,500 funded eight Benchmark Awards through CREF, improving programs from coast to coast in an effort to empower the nearly 600 collision students currently obtaining an industry education from those schools. Texas State Technical College Auto Collision and Management (Waco, TX) received $25,000 to help maintain and elevate its program.

Additionally, three schools were awarded $10,000 in funding through Enterprise and CREF:

• College of Lake County (Grayslake, IL)
• Delgado Community College (New Orleans, LA)
• Des Moines Area Community College (Ankeny, IA)

Enterprise’s donation also funded $5,000 Benchmark Awards for the following four programs:

• Kern High School District Regional Occupational Center (Bakersfield, CA)
• Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School (Fitchburg, MA)
• Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (Fennimore, WI)
• Thornton Fractional Center (Calumet City, IL)

Thanks to a generous $75,000 donation from State Farm®, nine collision schools will receive Benchmark Awards to help maintain or enhance their educational offerings and ensure that the students graduating from their programs are prepared to enter a career in the collision repair industry.

Six educational facilities received $10,000 to support their collision programs:

• Aims Community College (Windsor, CO)
• Career Academy and Technical School (Troutman, NC)
• Lex La-Ray Technical Center (Lexington, MO)
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton, ND)
• Oxford Hills Technical School (South Paris, ME)
• Warren Tech (Lakewood, CO)

Three additional awards for $5,000 were bestowed through State Farm’s funding:

• Hawkeye Community College (Waterloo, IA)
• Santana High School (Santee, CA)
• W.D. Ormsby Educational Center (East Aurora, NY)

LKQ continues to prove its dedication to high school and college collision schools and students through its generous support and sponsorship of CREF. This year, the company split its $70,000 donation between seven Tennessee schools. The 2025 recipients received $10,000 each:

• Northwest High School (Clarksville, TN)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Elizabethton (Kingsport, TN)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Jackson (Jackson, TN)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Livingston (Livingston, TN)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Morristown (Morristown, TN)
• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Murfreesboro (Smyrna, TN)

Honda once again demonstrated its commitment to the collision repair industry’s future generation of repair professionals with a generous $50,000 donation, which enabled CREF to fund 10 Benchmark Awards in 2025. Each of the following schools received $5,000 to sustain and innovate their collision programs:

• Cayuga Onondaga BOCES (Auburn, NY)
• Cleveland Community College (Shelby, NC)
• Coastal Carolina Community College (Jacksonville, NC)
• Contra Costa College (San Pablo, CA)
• Dos Palos High School (Dos Palos, CA)
• EHOVE Career Center (Milan, OH)
• Greenville Technical College (Greenville, SC)
• Oakland Schools Technical Campus Southeast (Royal Oak, MI)
• Ohio Technical College (Cleveland, OH)
• South Plains College (Levelland, TX)

Continuing its support of the collision industry in 2025, GEICO sponsored five Benchmark Awards through CREF, awarding $25,000 to Waite High School in Toledo, OH, while an additional $20,000 was equally distributed to the following four schools which received $5,000 each:

• Germantown High School (Germantown, WI)
• Nichols Career Center (Jefferson City, MO)
• Texas Southmost College (Brownsville, TX)
• Ypsilanti Community Schools Regional Career Technical Center (Ypsilanti, MI)

Thanks to a generous $40,000 donation from General Motors (GM), eight collision schools will each receive a $5,000 Benchmark Award to be used toward enhancing their educational offerings and helping to ensure that the students graduating from their programs are prepared to enter a career in the collision repair industry. Those schools are as follows:

• Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School (Charlton, MA)
• Consolidated High School District 230 (Palos Hill, IL)
• Jefferson County Vocational School (Bloomingdale, OH)
• New Market Skills Center (Tumwater, WA)
• Norwalk High School (Norwalk, CA)
• RD Anderson Applied Technology Center (Moore, SC)
• Rock Valley College (Rockford, IL)
• Rosedale Technical College (Pittsburgh, PA)

Yet again, Driven Brands Collision displayed its support for the future of the collision repair industry by donating $30,000 to fund five Driven Collision Benchmark Awards in Driven Brands Collision markets with the intent of benefitting those educational facilities and elevating the caliber of graduates entering the field. Wake Technical College (Raleigh, NC) benefitted from a $10,000 award to help maintain the program.

Additionally, each of the following schools received a $5,000 Driven Collision Benchmark Award through CREF:

• Assabet Valley Technical High School (Marlborough, MA)
• Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI)
• New York Automotive and Diesel Institute (Jamaica, NY)
• Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center (New Kensington, PA)

Continuing its collaboration with CREF, Farmers Insurance^® donated $30,000 to fund Benchmark Awards in support of five collision repair education programs across the country. In addition to a $10,000 award given to Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, MI), Farmers Insurance awarded $5,000 in funding to the following four collision programs:

• Holmes County Career & Technical Center (Lexington, MS)
• Kootenai Technical Education Campus (Rathdrum, ID)
• Leominster Center for Technical Education (Leominster, MA)
• NEWTech Prep Skill Center (Spokane, WA)

Nationwide Insurance once again partnered with the Foundation to support collision schools and students by funding five Benchmark Awards. The $30,000 donation was used to provide Bridgerland Technical College (Logan, UT) with $10,000 for program maintenance, while the balance was divided between four schools that received $5,000 each, as follows:

• Beaver County Career and Technology Center (Monaca, PA)
• Dowell J Howard Center (Winchester, VA)
• Lorenzo Walker Technical College (Naples, FL)
• Wenatchee Valley Tech (Wenatchee, WA)

A generous $25,000 donation from non-industry entity, the Hearst Foundation, funded four Benchmark Awards. Eden Area Regional Occupational Program (Hayward, CA) received $10,000 in funding, while three additional schools were awarded $5,000 each:

• Stanly Community College (Albemarle, NC)
• Thomas A Edison Career and Technical Academy (Elizabeth, NJ)
• Washington County Career and Technical Center (Abingdon, VA)

Hertz continues to show its dedication to high school and college collision schools and students through its generous support and sponsorship of CREF. This year, four collision schools will receive Benchmark Awards, thanks to Hertz’s $25,000 donation. Walker Career Center (Indianapolis, IN) will receive $10,000. Three additional schools were awarded $5,000 each, as follows:

• Bismarck State College (Bismarck, ND)
• Chantilly Academy (Chantilly, VA)
• Minnesota State College Southeast (Winona, MN)

Copart has demonstrated its commitment to the future of the collision repair industry by contributing $20,000 in 2025 Benchmark Awards to three schools in need through CREF. Tri Valley Regional Occupational Program (Livermore, CA) received $10,000 in funding. Additionally, $5,000 Awards were bestowed upon the following schools:

• Bergen County Technical High School (Paramus, NJ)
• Spokane College (Spokane, WA)

CCC Intelligent Solutions Inc. (CCC) and CREF proudly announce that three collision repair school programs will receive Classroom Enhancement Awards, totaling $15,000, which will be used to purchase resources to enhance their collision repair training programs and equip students with the tools they need for a successful career in collision repair. Each of the following schools received $5,000:

• Career Center of Southern Illinois (Red Bud, IL)
• Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES LoGuidice Educational Center (Fredonia, NY)
• Table Rock Career Center (Reeds Spring, MO)

OE Roundtable continued its support of the collision repair industry by sponsoring three separate Benchmark Awards in 2025. A $5,000 Benchmark Award was bestowed upon Ogden High School (Ogden, UT). Fayetteville Technical Community College (Fayetteville, NC) received a $3,500 award, and $2,500 in funding was donated to State University of New York Erie (Orchard Park, NY).

CollisionRight funded two $5,000 Benchmark Awards, which were bestowed upon the following schools:

• Miami Northwestern Senior High School (Miami, FL)
• Seward County Community College (Liberal, KS)

Gerber Collision & Glass, a division of the Boyd Group, Inc., continued to support the collision industry’s future generation by funding two Benchmark Awards via a $10,000 donation to CREF. Each of the following schools received $5,000 in funding:

• North Idaho College (Coeur d’Alene, ID)
• Northern Virginia Community College (Alexandria, VA)

Columbus Collision Education Group’s $5,000 donation funded a Benchmark Award for Miami Valley Career Technology Center (Clayton, OH).

Thanks to the generosity of Dents & Dings, JB Hensler College & Career Academy (Manvel, TX) received a $5,000 Benchmark Award in 2025.

Erie Insurance supported CREF and the collision industry’s future by awarding a $5,000 Benchmark Award to Tidewater Community College (Chesapeake, VA).

GFS also continued its support of the Foundation and collision schools by sponsoring a $5,000 Benchmark Award for program maintenance that will benefit Carroll County Career and Technology Center (Westminster, MD).

CREF is also excited to announce that 17 secondary and post-secondary schools in the United States will benefit from Benchmark Awards funded through the efforts of six devoted I-CAR Committees. Through the employment of various fundraising methods, funds totaling $145,000 were generated, which will aid the industry’s future generation in becoming prepared for a career in collision repair. The six I-CAR Committees and the awards they bestowed include:

Atlanta I-CAR Committee

• Athens Technical College (Athens, GA): $10,000
• Lanier Technical College (Gainesville, GA): $10,000
• Maxwell High School of Technology (Lawrenceville, GA): $10,000
• North Georgia Technical College (Clarkesville, GA): $10,000
• Union County High School (Blairsville, GA): $10,000

Broward County I-CAR Committee

• Sheridan Technical College (Hollywood, FL): $5,000

Greater Philadelphia I-CAR Committee

• Berks Career & Technology Center, East Campus (Oley, PA): $5,000
• Dauphin County Technical School (Harrisburg, PA): $5,000
• Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (Willow Grove, PA): $10,000
• Lebanon County Career and Technology Center (Lebanon, PA): $5,000
• Pennsylvania College of Technology (Williamsport, PA): $5,000
• SUN Area Technical Institute (New Berlin, PA): $5,000
• Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (Lancaster, PA): $5,000

Knoxville I-CAR Committee

• Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): $10,000

Phoenix I-CAR Committee

• Andrada High School (Tucson, AZ): $5,000)
• West-MEC (Phoenix, AZ): $10,000

Rhode Island I-CAR Committee

• William M. Davies Career and Technical High School (Lincoln, RI): $25,000

Eligibility for these awards was achieved by applying for the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s 2025 Benchmark Awards for Collision Schools. CREF’s Benchmark Awards for Collision Schools recognize schools that excel at educating students in collision repair, but due to strained school budgets, the programs require additional financial assistance. Recipient schools use these funds to provide the tools, equipment and supplies necessary to enhance their students’ learning experience and elevate the caliber of their graduates, ensuring that graduates are prepared to successfully enter the workforce upon graduation. Applications for the 2026 Benchmark Awards for Collision Schools will be available online in early 2026.

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.