Red Deer, Alberta — Darryl and Brian Hemstreet, owners of CARSTAR Red Deer and CARSTAR Red Deer South recently purchased a $5,000 grant for the Lindsay Thurber Autobody Program in the Red Deer community.
The funding was specifically provided through the Grants Microgrant program. This program caters to evolving community organizations and aids organizations in navigating and developing responsive programming, maintaining vital programming, investing in technology and addressing unforeseen expenses in order to meet community demands.
“Our local students are the future business owners, automotive professionals, contractors, builders and facility operators of our community, and we need to work with them to encourage them to pursue these important technical careers,” said Darryl Hemstreet.
“Not only is this a way to ensure we have a steady pipeline of trained technicians for our CARSTAR Red Deer locations, it provides a career path to students who may not be college bound.”
The grant received will support the Lindsay Thurber Autobody Program, which currently has around 50 students in it enrolled in grades 10 through 12. The money will help in the purchasing of tools, equipment, training programs and more.
In addition, a mentorship program will be created for students which will arrange store visits so that students can see, first-hand, the skills they will need in a real-world environment.
CARSTAR Red Deer has already hosted three student field trips in February of this year and has more planned in the future.
“It is so important for students to have a mentor who can help guide them in the industry and provide apprenticeship opportunities for them to gain experience,” noted Darryl Hemstreet. “I look forward to seeing these young men and women grow into their careers and become collision repair professionals.”
