COLLECTORS FOUNDATION NEXT GENERATION
IN FOCUS Stefan Lombard
The volunteers at Montana Automotive Technologies work selflessly to prepare the next generation of classic car stewards
Passing along the knowledge, skills and passion required to preserve and maintain old cars isn’t easy without will- ing participants. Since 2006, the Col- lectors Foundation has teamed up with Montana Automotive Technologies (MAT) in an effort to ensure that the next generation is up to the challenge.
MAT is a nonprofit group dedicated to mentoring young adults through hands-on training in vintage auto restoration and preservation proj- ects. The program’s volunteer staff includes local shop owners, backyard mechanics and high school teachers, which gains it accreditation with the state. More than 150 students have wrenched on cars in MAT’s 80x60-foot Missoula shop, and every tool and piece of equipment inside it comes from generous donations from local automotive businesses, as well as from funds from the Collectors Foundation.
Alan Ault is the man behind MAT. “If it wasn’t for the Collectors Foundation, we wouldn’t be here,” he says. “We
shared our vision with them, and they helped us from the start.” To date, the Collectors Foundation has given more than $65,000 to MAT.
As a result of this support, MAT is making a big difference. “Alan has put together and is supervising an amaz- ing organization,” says Bob Knechel, president and CEO of the Collectors Foundation. In fact, Knechel says the superintendent of schools is seriously considering bringing back shop class after a 10-year absence, “because Alan and MAT are proving it does make a difference.”
According to Ault, MAT provides training for three distinct groups. “We bring in kids from the local high schools. We have an at-risk program for kids who might be heading down the wrong path. And we just started a program with the YWCA to get young women involved.”
The payoff for the shops in the region is a well-trained, ready-made work-
Through Montana Automotive Technologies, which has benefited from support from the Collectors Foundation, students are learning about all aspects of automobile repair, including the chassis, engine and bodywork.
force. “We partner with engine and body and transmission shops,” Ault says. For example, MAT might send a couple of kids with an engine to a local shop, where they’ll get real expe- rience boring cylinders, or a couple of kids might spend a few weeks doing body work at another shop. The result is a great familiarity between student and shop, which leads to part-time and even full-time work.
Ault’s goal is to create a museum where students at work will be part of the display, much like a living diorama. “We’ve got an Auburn boattail,” Ault says. “Imagine it behind glass and watching a group of kids restore it.” For now, the museum remains a dream that will require substantial funding to become a reality. In the meantime, Ault and the volunteers at Montana Automotive Technologies continue to do their part by sharing what they know with young people eager to learn. The benefits for all involved have a value hard to price.
Learn more about MAT at
montanaautotech.org, and see what else the Collectors Foundation is up to at
collectorsfoundation.org.
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