[NATIONAL] NEWS
Collision Repair Students Restore Prized Vehicle for Kidnapping Survivor Back in 2003, 15-year-old Cleveland resident Amanda Berry loved spending time with her grandfather and working with him on his prized 1986 Monte Carlo. He promised her that the car would be hers when she turned 16, but the day before her birthday delivered a nightmare that no one should ever endure. After being kidnapped, she was held hostage for a full decade before finally escaping and reuniting with her family. The story made national headlines and put Berry in the media spotlight, but she was just excited to be back with her loved ones and have an opportunity to continue working on the car. Sadly, her grandfather was soon diagnosed with dementia; as a result, he struggled to remember her before he passed away. Despite this tragic loss, she kept the beloved Monte Carlo, which by that time was in a greatly deteriorated state. Berry’s story caught the attention of the auto body department of Max S. Hayes High School in Cleveland. Beginning in 2019, dozens of students put in hundreds of hours – including on Saturdays – to fully restore the vehicle as per I-CAR standards. Thanks to the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF), the revamped Monte Carlo was unveiled publicly for the first time during a special ceremony at the July Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Cleveland. Appearing on stage prior to seeing the upgraded Monte Carlo,
Berry expressed her deep appreciation for every student who gave of themselves to provide this special gift. “First and foremost, thank you to my grandfather, who’s now in Heaven. He’s watching down, and he watched all of you guys do all the hard work. For that, I’ll be forever grateful and thankful […] This is a dream come true that I actually didn’t think would ever come true.”
Amanda Berry reunited with a very special Monte Carlo SS PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND THE COLLISION INDUSTRY
MASSACHUSETTS
18 September 2021
New England Automotive Report
