NEW ORLEANS – General Motors has donated a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze for use in the General Motors Automotive Service Education Program (GM ASEP) at Delgado Community College.
The vehicle was located at Cecil Graves Chevrolet GMC in St. Francisville, LA., more than 100 miles away from the Delgado City Park Campus in New Orleans. Because vehicles donated by GM to Delgado cannot be licensed or driven on public highways, Steve Dawson at Gerry Lane Chevrolet of Baton Rouge arranged for a tow truck and driver to transport the vehicle to the Delgado City Park Campus. Delgado has no resources of its own to transport donated vehicles.
This is not the first time the Gerry Lane dealership has assisted in this way, said William Gray, Assistant Professor and General Motors World Class Technician in the Delgado Motor Vehicle Technology Program. “Gerry Lane Enterprises has always been and continues to be a major supporter of automotive education here at Delgado Community College, and we thank them for their continued support.”
The relationship between General Motors, its dealerships and Delgado is a strong one, with many benefits to students, employees and businesses throughout the region. Gray said that three or four new vehicles are donated by GM to Delgado every year. The value of each vehicle varies, depending on its condition—some have damage, such as a dent incurred in transit, that reduces their value. The value of a new Chevrolet Cruze ranges between $16,000 and $26,000.
“New cars are vital to maintaining an up-to-date education program here at Delgado,” Gray said. “Students are working towards GM certifications as well as working full-time in GM dealerships–as part of the program requirement that students must have GM dealership sponsorship and complete required GM training.”
“We provide job placement assistance to students who don’t have GM jobs,” Gray said. “Gerry Lane in Baton Rouge is one of our biggest supporters. They send us students, and they place students we send them.”
