By Barett Poley
Oakville, Ontario — December 7, 2016 — Budds’ Collision Services will hold its annual Christmas party December 16 from 1 to 4 p.m. This year, the traditional event will also help to raise donations for the newly founded Sam Piercey Foundation, supporting young collision repair apprentices in the industry.
The foundation and celebration will be held in honour of the late Sam Piercey, co-owner of Budds’, frequent Collision Repair magazine columnist and one of the collision repair industry’s titans. He passed away July 24, 2016, as a result of complications arising due to leukemia.
J.R. Martino has been with Budds’ Collision for just over three years. He first “met” Sam through his column.
“I found myself agreeing with everything he said,” Martino says. “I went and visited him at one point and we spent the whole night talking about the industry. At the time, he was looking for someone to start managing the day-to-day operations, someone who shared the same views and would run the operation the same way he would. Sam was that person that you would never have to ask for anything from because he wouldn’t stop giving. Advice, time, love, etc. Under his rough exterior was a heart of gold. He will always be my mentor, hero and best friend.”
The foundation is a memorial to Sam, says Martino, and the Christmas Party itself is a celebration of his life.
“This year, instead of our usual toy drive, we’re accepting donations for the Sam Piercey Foundation, which is geared towards helping young apprentices complete their goals and become licensed technicians. It will help out with their tools, their schooling and all aspects of their apprenticeship,” he says.
The foundation is just starting up, but the message behind it is important.
“Right now, we’re just in the infancy stages of the project.” says Martino. “Going into it we just knew we wanted to do something to keep Sam’s legacy going, and this is something that he always held very near and dear to his heart.”
This isn’t the first time that Budds’ Collision has taken part in community driven charity. Last year (and for several years preceding),the company held a pig roast and toy drive which saw hundreds of dollars’ worth of toys donated to the Halton Police initiative, Toys for Tots.
“A lot of the attendees have already generously contributed to the foundation,” says Martino. “Although this event is geared towards support to the foundation, it is also an excuse for all the brilliant minds in the collision repairs industry together under one roof, to celebrate the holidays and the life and legacy of Sam Piercey.”
The Christmas celebrations at Budds’ are usually packed with key influencers and stakeholders in the collision repair industry, and the large shop is always filled, come the day of the annual party. The party takes place Friday, December 16 at Budds’ Collision in Oakville.
For more information, please visit buddscollision.com.
