WMABA Tees Off in Support of Tomorrow’s Technicians

by Alana Quartuccio

Every year, the WMABA community takes to the green for a fun day of camaraderie, networking and sport.

Behind it all, there is another message that goes far beyond the hours spent on the golf course. Every swing taken is in support of the next generation of collision repairers as the annual event is the association’s biggest fundraiser for its Jerry Dalton Memorial Education Fund, which supports schools within the WMABA community.

The 2025 golf outing returns to Oak Creek Golf Club (Upper Marlboro, MD) on Thursday, September 11 and once again will serve as the main fundraiser for all of WMABA’s efforts to give back to the community.

The association is always looking to help lend its support to area schools whether it’s directly through the fund or via personal connections with WMABA Board members, says Chris Cage who serves on the WMABA administrative team. For example, a Board member was able to get two pallets of Rivian parts to Chesterfield Career and Technical Center for students to work with.

Cage keeps a close dialogue with the schools to see what they may need and help connect them to the right people and resources. 

This year, during the Southeast Collision Conference, WMABA bestowed tool grants to four students of two of their “adopted schools,” Center for Applied Technologies North (Severn, MD) and Northern Virginia Community College (Alexandria, VA), to help those future industry professionals get their start. 

“Any way we can give a student a leg up before they start their career is a good thing, so they can step into their new role with tools to go along with their skills,” reports Cage. “Not only does it help the students, it helps the employers they work for. A lot of these young people start their careers with tens of thousands of dollars in school and tool debt, so it’s amazing to be able to give them this assistance.” 

A great turnout is expected for this year’s golf outing with the same exceptional fun and exciting raffle prizes that keep bringing people back year after year. Visit wmaba.com/events/golf-outing to register.

Want more? Check out the July 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!