The 2024 Women’s Industry Network (WIN) Scholarship Fundraiser Walk and Donations programs raised $9,670 in additional money to support a record 30 student scholarships.
WIN scholarships are presented annually to deserving post-secondary collision repair technology program students. Thirty students received scholarships this year, triple the amount awarded in 2022 and 10 more than last year.
The funds, along with WIN’s group sponsorship and general fund commitments, augmented its recent announcement of providing $30,000 in scholarship support, according to a news release.
The Scholarship Walk is held every year at the WIN Annual Conference. This year, it was combined with an ongoing donation campaign and on-site swage and bracelet sales to simplify and expand involvement, according to April Keim and Christina Sepulveda, WIN Scholarship Fundraising co-chairs.
“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 Kottschade, 2024 WIN Student Relations Committee chair, in the release. “This also grows the collision industry’s much-needed workforce — and that is why WIN and its sponsors play an important role in supporting and educating tomorrow’s collision repair professionals today.
“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.”
The top three businesses that donated were:
WIN previously announced a record number of new recipients of its 2024 WIN College Student Tuition and Conference Scholarship Awards, where the selected recipients received extensive tool kits and/or scholarship funds.
There were also a record number of student applications this year through WIN’s partnership with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF).
As part of the application process, each WIN Scholarship applicant registered for and received a complimentary WIN Student Membership. WIN also supports collision repair instructors with access to free WIN memberships through the “Pay It Forward” campaign.
All award recipients and applicants are also eligible to participate in WIN’s monthly mentoring program. Student engagement group calls are held during which best practices are shared by collision industry professionals and their peers.
Featured image: Scholarship recipient Autumn Harvey is pictured with the tools she received from the WIN scholarship program. (Provided by WIN)
WIN 2024 Scholarship Walk Enterprise Mobility team. (Provided by WIN)
WIN 2024 Scholarship Walk Classic Collision team. (Provided by WIN)
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