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Cruise-In enticing youth into trades with new scholarship

Piping industry joins charity board in engaging young people with love of cars
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The Wage_Wagon is going to be at the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In in September, with the United Association Local 170 Plumbers and Pipefitting Union mobile classroom. They鈥檙e part of a concerted effort to engage more young people not only in cars and mechanics, but a variety of trades. (Mark Donnery/Special to 91原创 Advance Times)

Organizers of this year鈥檚 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In are looking to the future, with a real keen focus on youth.

Some car shows are just starting to incorporate youth components into their events, to ensure the car shows and the culture can continue. But Cruise-In has always strove to be multi-generational, said president Riccardo Sestito.

But while Cruise-In has always encouraged young people to engage in the car culture and share in the love of collecting and working on automobiles, the team behind 91原创鈥檚 huge charity car show is upping the anti.

They have announced plans to start a Cruise-In scholarship they hope will encourage more people to consider careers in the automotive industry and other trades.

The Cruise-In board is working with the 91原创 School District Foundation to form an ongoing scholarship, said Sestito. While details are still being worked out, he envisions it will be an annual scholarship awarded to a student in 91原创 keen on pursuing a career in some aspect of the trades.

Most scholarships, Sestito said, are focused on academics, where he and a few others on the board want to help those who are not necessarily going to pursue college or university. Instead, he wants to offer something to help those interested in a lifetime career in the trades.

鈥淲e want to create a legacy here. We have to build something that will keep giving in the years to come,鈥 said Sestito, who has also brought the United Association Local 170 Plumbers & Pipefitters Union on board in the push to engage more youth.

UA170 will likely be contributing in some way to the Cruise-In scholarship initiative, said business development representative Ryan King, a steam fitter by trade.

RELATED: Father and son debut car at 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In

In the meantime, they too will be part of this year鈥檚 Cruise-In on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Aldergrove.

They鈥檙e bringing their recently retrofitted 1984 vintage Wage_Wagon van, complete with an office in the back, as well as a truck and trailer unit that serves as a mobile classroom for the United Association鈥檚 Piping Industry College.

King clarified that in addition to being used as part of his teams promotional efforts, the mobile classroom is actually deployed to remote communities in B.C., where people can learn close to home and not have to travel to the Lower Mainland to master a craft.

READ MORE: Volunteers needed for 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In

The Wage_Wagon was only completed about a month ago, and King said the team (he and a half dozen other union members) has already rolled it out to a few car shows this summer, including one recently in White Rock and another coming up in Mission.

They鈥檙e joining what King called a real push to get young men and women involved in the trades, and he鈥檚 excited to team up with Cruise-In.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to get in front of people and get them to realize the trades are an option,鈥 he said, noting car shows are a great place to reach young people who like to work with their hands and may hold a strong interest in mechanics.


Is there more to the story? Email: news@langleyadvancetimes.com
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30079809_web1_220814-LAT-RH-CruiseInScholarship-wage_3
The Wage_Wagon is going to be at the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In in September, with the United Association Local 170 Plumbers and Pipefitting Union mobile classroom. They鈥檙e part of a concerted effort to engage more young people not only in cars and mechanics, but a variety of trades. (Special to 91原创 Advance Times)
30079809_web1_220814-LAT-RH-CruiseInScholarship-wage_4
The Wage_Wagon is going to be at the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In in September, with the United Association Local 170 Plumbers and Pipefitting Union mobile classroom. They鈥檙e part of a concerted effort to engage more young people not only in cars and mechanics, but a variety of trades. (Special to 91原创 Advance Times)


Roxanne Hooper

About the Author: Roxanne Hooper

I began in the news industry at age 15, but honestly, I knew I wanted to be a community journalist even before that.
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