YOUTH
WEST VALLEY VIEW NEWS | APRIL 17, 2019
31
Car club donates auto show proceeds to West-MEC BY KYLE BACKER
West-MEC Communications Specialist
Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC) – a public career technical education district – received donations for student scholarships from the Estrella Mountain Car Club’s “Cruiz’n to the Lakes” Car Show. On March 23, proud car owners headed to the Starpointe Residents Club in Goodyear to see who would take home one of the trophies manufactured by West-MEC students. Hundreds enjoyed the mild weather and sleek cars. The day, however, wasn’t just about impressive automobiles – it was about investing in the future. “I built my own car – lots of the guys built their own cars. That got us thinking, ‘Why aren’t we educating kids nowadays to work on cars or learn a trade?’” said Lou Brensahl, member of the Estrella Mountain Car Club. That question led Brensahl and other members of the car club to see what education options were available to their community. After learning about the career training programs at WestMEC, they contacted Marilynn Babyar, director of West-MEC student services, to see how they could work together to support students in the Estrella Foothills area. “West-MEC programs have a small registration fee, but it can be a hardship for some families. Seeing a need, they offered to donate the proceeds from their car show. But they don’t just donate money, they are student advo-
Left, Lead recruiter Maya Milhon runs the West-MEC booth with medical assisting students McKenzie Kluff and Danielle Torres. Right, Trophies manufactured by West-MEC students out of car parts. (Photos courtesy West-MEC)
cates,” Babyar said. The car club originally supported students solely from Estrella Foothills High School, but as the car show has expanded, so has the host’s generosity. The donations from 2019’s “Cruiz’n to the Lakes” show will help students across the Buckeye Union High School District enroll in one of 26 career training programs. “When this whole thing started, there was only 10 to 15 students from Estrella Foothills High School who went to West-MEC. This year, there were 65 applications. It’s grown for a variety
of reasons, but students are learning that some of the barriers are being removed,” said Maya Milhon, the lead recruiter at West-MEC.
To learn more about West-MEC’s career training programs for high school and adult students, visit westmec.edu.
Goodyear Chiropractic goodyearwellness.com
AUTO INJURY CARE
WE NOW HAVE TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! AVONDALE • 623.932.4060
11 W. Van Buren #28 • Avondale, AZ 85323
BUCKEYE • 623.444.4060
980 S Watson Rd, Suite 105 • Buckeye, AZ 85326 315656_4.9_x_5.4.indd 1
3/22/19 11:42 AM