The Riding With Us Foundation Information

The Riding With Us Foundation works to provide scholarship and mentorship opportunities to youth interested in pursuing a career in the automotive industry. These opportunities are provided as a result of their participation in our signature activity, the restoration of a classic automobile. The students disassemble the project vehicle, getting it ready for a full restoration, and then start the rebuilding process. Once complete the vehicle is sold at auction, and the proceeds from that sale are awarded to the students in the form of scholarships.But the work being done here is about more than giving a classic vehicle new life and awarding students scholarships. The students working on this project learn the value of being part of a team, and how to lead the team through various parts of the restoration, facing the challenges they meet through creative thinking, persistence, skill and patience. They also get a taste of what it’s like to make business decisions, as these students must make decisions about the build with their future “customer” in mind. The students in this program will go on to work in various aspects of the automotive industry, but the experience they get from taking the restoration from start to finish is invaluable in learning their trade. All of this work happens in a safe environment where these students can spend their after-school hours being part of a project in which they can take pride. Being part of this after school program also affords these young people the chance to steer clear of the opportunities to get in trouble that exist everywhere. We believe that investing in students at this critical time in their lives has a strong, positive influence on their life path. Not only do students involved in activities such as this have a better chance at success during and after high school, they are a positive influence to those around them and therefore affect their community in a positive way as well.