Illinois Art Competition Raises Scholarship Funds for Young Aspiring Technicians

Automotive enthusiasts in Nauvoo, Illinois, used their talents to help raise scholarship funds for local high school students aspiring to enter the automotive workforce, reports WGEM.

The annual Nauvoo Grape Festival takes place on the first weekend of September, and brings visitors from all across the country. One of the festival’s events was the Festival of Wheels Pinstripers Panel Jam, a competition where contestants use a pinstripe detailing tool to create a work of art.

While the event is no doubt entertaining for local car enthusiasts, it’s also helping those looking for a career in the automotive world. Since 2012, the competition has functioned as a scholarship auction, with funds being awarded to local high school students seeking to become automotive technicians.

Bob Anderson, a pinstripe artist and head organizer, shared that the event has raised thousands of dollars over the years, with this year alone seeing $6,905 in scholarship funds raised.

“We’ve seen previous scholarship winners open up their own businesses and become extremely successful,” said Anderson. “Now, they’re donating pieces of art back to us to help out because we helped them out years ago.”