President’s Party and Vocational Scholarship Fundraiser Recap
Summer in Los Angeles is all about cars, and Acceler8 has been on the move! Between our student workshops at Petersen Automotive Museum, traveling with Formula DRIFT, and outfitting our Ford F-250 shop truck to be a classroom on wheels, Acceler8 reached another milestone: our first fundraiser.
Last month, we held our President’s Party and Vocational Scholarship Fundraiser in partnership with Rotary Club of Los Angeles (LA5 Rotary). More than 200 supporters attended the event at the Auto Conduct car culture compound in DTLA. We celebrated and rallied behind our youth automotive program, supported by a team from Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Special Weapons and Tactics, as well as representatives from Borla Exhaust, PK Auto, Galpin Auto Sports, Formula DRIFT and The ID Agency.
As part of the festivities, Acceler8 President Charles Woodruff unveiled Pegasus; a SUPER73-Z1 electric motorbike customized by Adam Stone from Stone Cold Customs. The beautiful custom paint, graphics, and pinstriping is part of an ongoing sweepstakes to support Acceler8 activities, with entry by donation.
We had many highlights at the event, which saw families and friends enjoy food by LA Original Tacos while participating in a silent auction that included autographed sports memorabilia, original artwork, and special access to live events. The Acceler8 Education team was also thrilled to officially announce a $100,000 donation from City of LA 15th District Councilman Joe Buscaino.
LA5 Rotary’s Vocational Scholarship Program supports students who have completed or are currently enrolled in Acceler8. They have also demonstrated a sustained interest in building a career in the automotive industry and are seeking funding to continue their automotive education. These students were given an opportunity to submit an application for the Vocational Scholarship Fund through LA5 Rotary, where a select number (dependent on available funding each year) will be awarded the LA5 Rotary VSF. The scholarship can go towards college or trade school tuition as well as material and equipment needed to start a career. All proceeds from the June 2022 Vocational Scholarship fundraiser will be used for this future Vocational Scholarship Program.
The first recipient of an LA5 Rotary Vocational Scholarship was Elvia Morales, who received $2500 in scholarship funds to further her education in the automotive field while attending Allan Hancock College.
“I feel honored to be a scholarship recipient,” Elvia told us. “I plan to use the money to continue my automotive course and hopefully gain enough experience to feel confident when working on cars.”
LA5 Rotary President Paul Ekstrand released the following statement after the celebration: “Visions don’t come to fruition on their own. It takes partnerships to do so, and I’m so appreciative to the help Acceler8 provided to realize our vision of returning Vocational Scholarships to the Rotary Club of Los Angeles. We were able to make it happen in just eight months, which is extraordinary. And we celebrated our partnership by handing out more than $67,000 in Vocational Scholarships to students in our community…
“Thank you again for the dedication and hard work Acceler8 provides every day, and for the wisdom passed onto the Rotary Club of Los Angeles to help get a legacy project of Vocational Scholarships off the ground.”
Thank you to all our generous supporters, and congrats to Elvia!
For more information about the SUPER73-Z1 Pegasus e-bike, please click here
