Savannah Tech Helps Red Cross Trailer Sparkle This Holiday Season

#1427 | December 19, 2013

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.

###

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, Savannah Technical College (Savannah Tech) is the premier provider of career-ready technical education in Coastal Georgia, offering a comprehensive range of nearly 150 market-driven programs, preparing students for high-demand careers including Aviation Technology, Cybersecurity, Health Sciences, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Automation & Robotics, Information Technology, Culinary Arts, Public Services and more. With campuses in Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty Counties, Savannah Tech serves more than 13,000 credit and non-credit students with a variety of pathways to success, including dual enrollment programs for high school students and specialized support services for military veterans and their families. Beyond academics, Savannah Tech is an economic and community development partner, collaborating with industry leaders to provide customized training programs, assessment services, and continuing education opportunities. For more information, visit www.savannahtech.edu.

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).

Savannah Technical College complies with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The TCSG State Board prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status (“protected status”). No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under, any TCSG program or activity because of the individual’s protected status; nor shall any individual be given preferential treatment because of the individual’s protected status, except the preferential treatment may be given on the basis of veteran status when appropriate under federal or state law.