The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) has established a scholarship in memory of Jeff Silver, honoring his decades of work to benefit the collision repair industry.

Silver, a champion for technical education across the industry, was instrumental in creating both CREF and the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR). He died on Sept. 23, shortly after celebrating his 80th birthday.

“Jeff was passionate about helping collision school programs and their students, which is why he had an active role in establishing the Collision Repair Education Foundation back in 1991,” said Jeanne Silver, his wife and soulmate of 36 years. “This memorial scholarship will allow his vision to carry on in supporting these students. Thank you in advance for considering helping honor Jeff’s legacy by supporting this scholarship!”

Donations can be made online by visting CREF’s secure donation form and selecting Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship from the dropdown menu, or by sending a check payable to the “Collision Repair Education Foundation” to Collision Repair Education Foundation, 5125 Trillium Blvd., Hoffman Estates, IL 60192. Those wishing to contact Managing Director Brandon Eckenrode about a donation can call 312-231-0258 or email Brandon.Eckenrode@ed-foundation.org.

“This scholarship will honor the memory of Jeff and continue his efforts to support the future professionals of the industry,” Eckenrode told Repairer Driven News. “We invite collision industry members to contribute to this scholarship and allow us to remove financial barriers collision students face during their technical education. We look forward to announcing the first Jeff Silver Memorial Scholarship recipients this upcoming spring!”

CREF is a national nonprofit and tax-exempt student organization under the Internal Revenue Service Code, Section 501 (c)(3).

Scholarship applications will open in January, CREF said.

Images

Featured image of Jeff Silver provided by Jeanne Silver