National News
by Joel Gausten
Auto Body Students Make
Kidnapping Survivor’s Dream Come True A young lady’s 16th birthday is usually a special milestone that comes with great times and fond memories. For Cleveland resident Amanda Berry, this day was meant to be when her grandfather, Troy, would give her the keys to his prized 1986 Monte Carlo SS. When Berry was a little girl, she’d often work on the car with him, developing a love of automobiles along the way. Tragically, she was kidnapped the day before her birthday in 2003 and subsequently held captive for an entire decade before finally escaping. 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 losing her beloved partner in car restoration, she kept the Monte Carlo, which by that time was in a greatly deteriorated state. Thankfully, her decision to hold on to the vehicle led to a very happy ending thanks to young members of the collision repair industry. Beginning in 2019, dozens of students at Max S. Hayes High School in Cleveland 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
Amanda Berry reunited with a very special Monte Carlo SS 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.” TXA
8 SEPTember 2021 Texas Automotive
