Autobody Repair Program Receives $3,000 Grant

February 13, 2019

The college’s Automotive Technical Services-Autobody Repair A.O.S. program will be able to purchase new tools and equipment for its students thanks to a recent $3,000 grant from the Collision Repair Education Foundation.

Faculty member Matthew Perry said this is the first time the college has gone after external funds from the foundation but it won’t be the last.

“We plan to do this each and every year moving forward,” he said. “We were able to receive one of the mini grants this year, but the foundation awards more than $250,000 to schools across the country every year.”

Faculty in the Autobody Repair program heard about the grants from representatives of I-CAR, a trade organization for the collision repair industry that uses the college’s Cogan Hall lab to hold continuing education courses for the region’s autobody professionals. They put together a grant proposal in the fall and were pleased to see they were one of the 2019 recipients.

Hudson Valley was one of five community colleges across the country to receive a Caliber Collision School Grant from the Collision Repair Education Foundation. The other schools were located in Wyoming, Florida, Colorado and Virginia.

Like any technical field, autobody repair is rapidly evolving, with new tools and techniques needed for new body materials. One of the tools Hudson Valley will be able to purchase with the funding is an aluminum dent repair puller.

Perry said that the autobody field can be an expensive one, and seeking external help is critical if they hope to maintain their high standard of education. Seeking product donations from regional companies has also helped them, he said. “We’ve received about $30,000 in materials from Norton Industries – tapes, adhesives, discs for grinding – pretty much everything but paint. That helps a lot.”