Black Hills Tire recently held its first Camp DRIVE event in Rapid City, S.D. for kids 12-15 to have hands-on experience in the automotive service industry.
Camp DRIVE took place June 9 and 10th and it featured five hands-on sessions taught by technicians from Black Hills Tire. Topics covered included brakes, electrical, engine, alignment and tires. (MTD previously wrote about Camp DRIVE here.)
Attendance was limited to 25 kids, but Black Hill officials say that 57 kids registered, which “indicates the need for camps that offer this type of training for kids.”
The camp also featured guest speakers like Paul Danner, known as Scanner Danner on YouTube; the local National Guard and Police Department who shared their insights on the importance of a trade school degree; and Snap-On and Matco Tool Trucks came to let the kids on their trucks and see all the tools and technology available for purchase.
“We never imagined this camp would be so successful in it’s inaugural year,” says Tenise Chapman, co-owner of Black Hills and founder of Camp DRIVE.
“We didn’t expect to have a waiting list of attendees, much less everything to run so smoothly.”
Chapman says she looks forward to hosting this camp annually and creating an additional camp for kids ages 16-18 with more advanced sessions and tours of the local technical college in town.
“The goal is to grow interest in our industry,” she says.
“We hope this camp shows kids our industry is fun, and it’s fun to work on cars, but you can also make a career out of it. From the millions of smiles we saw during these two days; I would say we accomplished that.”
For more information, visit campdrivebht.com or email Tenise Chapman at [email protected]
