Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus partnered with Quick Lane in Paris to give local Veterans free oil changes on Veteran’s Day.
Quick Lane provides the materials each year. Quick Lane employees and Arkansas Tech-Ozark students provide labor. The two have partnered together for the past three Veterans Day holidays collectively giving over 150 free oil changes.
Keith Geels is one of the Arkansas Tech-Ozark Automotive Service Technology students who eagerly volunteered. He is also a Veteran.
“Being a Vet myself, I just wanted to come out and support other Veterans that wouldn’t have the opportunity to get this done,” Geels said.
Three Arkansas Tech-Ozark graduates currently work at Quick Lane. One of the three, Caleb Ballew, is the manager.
“This is the least we can do for Veterans,” Ballew said. “They gave us so much. My grandfather served in World War II so this is hits home for me.”
Each year Arkansas Tech-Ozark and Quick Lane try to raise the bar and give a higher number of oil changes than the previous year.
They have met that goal each year including this past Friday’s event. The first year they gave nearly 40 oil changes and last year they gave 56.
“We were able to give 58 oil changes to the Veterans on Friday,” Bobby Sewell, Program Chair of Automotive Service Technology at Arkansas Tech-Ozark, said. “We love getting the opportunity to give something back to the Veterans. This event allows us to give back and show our support for them.”
Sewell said the event also gives students experience working in a commercial automobile center.
“Spending time working at the Quick Lane is also a great experience for our students,” Sewell said. “They get to see firsthand what it is like to work in a shop with a team. They also get to see why being community-oriented is such a large part of our mission on the Arkansas-Tech Ozark campus.”
Both Quick Lane and Arkansas Tech-Ozark don’t plan on making this year their last.
“We will definitely be back next year,” Sewell said.
PHOTO (from left): ATU Ozark student Kyle Robinson. ATU Ozark student Ethan Kasper, ATU Ozark Graduate and Quick Lane Employee Devin Hardin, ATU Ozark student Keith Geels, ATU Ozark Graduate and Quick Lane Manager Caleb Ballew, ATU Ozark Graduate and Quick Lane Employee Jared Clare and ATU Ozark Program Chair of Automotive Service Technology Bobby Sewell.
