Toronto, Ontario — The Women’s Industry Network (WIN) has announced that its 2024 Scholarship Fundraiser Walk and Donations program raised $9,670 in additional funds to support the record 30 student scholarships the network recently presented.
These additional funds, along with its group scholarship and general fund commitments, augmented WIN’s recent announcement of providing $30,000 in scholarship support this year.
WIN scholarships are presented annually to deserving students enrolled in a post-secondary collision repair technology program. This year, WIN expanded its signature scholarship program to continue its tradition of financially supporting females who demonstrate a desire to excel in collision repair.
“The Women’s Industry Network’s mission is to support and enhance the role of women in the collision repair industry, promoting education, professional advancement and networking,” said Laura Kottchade, 2024 chair of the WIN Student Relations Committee, in a recent press release.
“This also grows the collision industry’s much-needed workforce—and that’s why WIN and its sponsors play an important role in supporting and educating tomorrow’s collision repair professionals, today,” Kottschade continued.
“These additional funds also complement what our sponsors and our general fund provide, and have allowed WIN to award a record number of scholarships this past year alone.”
According to April Keim and Christina Sepulveda, WIN Scholarship co-chairs, “the scholarship walk is an on-site fundraiser event held every year at the WIN Annual Conference. This year, it was combined with an ongoing donation campaign, along with on-site swag and bracelet sales. This year, we separated the scholarship walk, support sale items and the scholarship fundraiser to simplify and expand it for participant involvement. We’re especially proud of all the individuals, as well as the corporate and business involvement, with the top three organizations recognized by their generosity.”
The final results from the top three businesses in the scholarship fundraisers include:
- $1,700 – Enterprise Mobility, which manages the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand
- $1,190 – Classic Collision
- $1,000 – Jerry’s Abra Auto Body & Glass
“We are thrilled to support the Women’s Industry Network’s mission to enhance the role of women in the collision repair industry,” said Enterprise Mobility Vice President, Mary Mahoney.
“As a leading provider of mobility solutions, Enterprise Mobility has a major stake in the health of the automotive repair industry. We are committed to doing our part to invest in its continued success through participating in the WIN Scholarship fundraisers as well as providing foundational support for the Collision Engineering program, which aims to develop a new generation of highly skilled, motivated and passionate collision repair professionals.”
2024 also saw a record number of student applications, as WIN partnered with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) to expand its reach to those looking for a career in collision repair.
For more information about WIN and its scholarship opportunities, click here.
