Menu 

Savannah Tech Helps Red Cross Trailer Sparkle This Holiday Season

#1427 | December 19, 2013

Red Cross Trailer Sparkle
Auto Collision Repair students restore disaster shelter trailer

SAVANNAH – The old trailer from the Southeast Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross had seen better days – its last washing removed all the paint, leaving it looking so bad it couldn’t serve its intended purpose of transporting items to shelter disaster victims. That’s when Savannah Technical College stepped in to assist.

This fall, 12 Auto Collision Repair students, enrolled in Department Head Keith Padgett’s Refinishing course, washed, sanded, re-caulked, waterproofed, and repainted the trailer; and refinished the tail light covers and rims. The result is a shiny, almost new trailer that Red Cross Disaster Services Director John Wright could put into service immediately.

“This trailer was the very first disaster shelter trailer we had for our chapter. When the paint came off with washing, we knew we couldn’t put it back in service,” said Wright. “We also knew we didn’t have the funds to purchase a new trailer.”

The project, done as a community service project for Auto Collision Technology, took Padgett’s class about a month from start to finish. “The American Red Cross touches so many lives in so many ways, when they called to ask for our help, we knew we had to help them,” noted Padgett. “My students learned a lot from this project. Ordinarily we work on cars, so this was different for them.”

Savannah Technical College offers four certificates in repair and refinishing along with a diploma in Automotive Collision Repair.

###

Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.

Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).