Ivy Tech Community College Northeast automotive technology student Gabriel Davis and graduate Paul Hyde recently selected more than $3,000 each in tools and equipment, as recipients of the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s (CREF) 3M Hire Our Heroes tool grant for 2015. Thirty-five winners from across the country had the opportunity to select $3,000 worth of tools and equipment to help in their education and for employment after graduation.
Since 2013, 3M has partnered with CREF in support of the collision repair industry and American veterans. During this time, 3M has donated $500,000 to be used toward scholarships and tool grants for individuals who served or are currently serving in the military and their family members.
“Our nation’s military veterans deserve every opportunity to get a great start in our industry,” says Dale Ross, U.S. marketing operations manager at 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “We are happy to continue to give back to those who have served in our military through the 3M Hire Our Heroes program, and we wish them all great success in their future careers.”
Davis served in the Indiana Army National Guard for nearly eight years before enrolling at Ivy Tech Northeast. “This grant means that there are companies out there that recognize vets are just as hard-working and dedicated to what we do as our civilian counterparts,” Davis says.
Hyde, a spring graduate, served in the U.S. Army for five years. “My passion for the automotive field is screaming, and the tools that have been put into my hands by this grant will ensure that all of the hard work in getting to this point will be worthwhile,” Hyde says.
Ivy Tech Northeast was one of only two colleges in 2015 to have more than one 3M Hire Our Heroes tool grant recipient.
“When you have more than one individual win, that says a lot about your program,” says Darrel Kesler, dean of Ivy Tech Northeast’s Technology Division.
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