OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 11, 2009 · 14 Oakville auto shop gives back Owner Glenn Colling, of Eastside Auto Service in Oakville, has seeded a major project with Careforce International had a major impact on the shop owner, resulting in named "Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box." A Trip to the Village of Hope in Burkina Faso, West Africa concept called "Auto Repair Shop-in-a-Box." The majority of aid for the Village of Hope is to be shipped by sea from Canada to Africa in 40 foot containers as "The Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box" will be a complete auto repair and maintenance facility. It will be designed to include: workbenches, welder tools, air compressor, grinders, tire machine and balancer, diagnostic equipment, and battery charger. The Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box will encompass everything that would be required to complete the job, as they do not have a repair shop located down the street, as we are fortunate to have in Canada. In addition, there will also be two hoists placed in the container for mounting the Auto Shop on cement pads once it is delivered on site. This concept will encompass several major objectives: 1. Provide a venue for training the children to teach them a skill 2. Provide tools and resources to maintain the equipment at the village, and 3. Provide a future means of income for the village once training has been completed. Glenn Colling founded this concept back in 2007 when he was part of a team, organized by Careforce International in Burlington, which travelled to the Village of Hope, a place where impoverished and orphaned children from surrounding rural villages come to live and learn during the school months. After assisting with the construction project for the first few days, Glenn's attention also turned to the much needed repair and maintenance of many and varied pieces of equipment in the village. These repairs presented specific challenges as the local parts supplier is not just down the street, as we are so lucky to have as Canadians. Pieces had to be fabricated or reworked and repaired. It was a truly amazing experience, and it made Glenn think outside the box, including engaging the children of the village to help at times by holding a wrench or swinging a hammer. Out of this experience in Burkina, came the realization for Glenn that the children have a true desire to learn, but need the resources and training to provide that opportunity. After brainstorming ideas at the Village of Hope, a concept called "Auto Repair ShopIn-A-Box" began. Glenn Colling feels that is a truly unique and innovative concept that can become reality. Thanks to the support of Roger Crichton and Careforce International, he says a container will become the Auto Repair Shop-In-A-Box has already been purchased and delivered. "We are now looking for donations of good-working new or used equipment to outfit the container" says Cooling. Glenn asks for other facilities to participate in this initiative "If you have any equipment that you are willing to donate, it will make a tremendous difference in the lives of the children at the Village of Hope", states Glenn. It has also been arranged by Colling that Careforce International is able to issue gift-in-kind tax receipts for the fair market value. Contact Glenn Colling of Eastside Auto Service in Oakville for more information or to donate by phoning 905-844-9641 or visit www.eastsideautoservice.ca