Photo:The Corona-Norco Unified School District
The Corona-Norco Unified School District
When a southern California family was unable to complete a major Jeep restoration project after their father died, car-savvy local high school students stepped in and helped complete the project last week.
Local retired fire captain Shane Porter had purchased a 1969 Jeepster Commando with the hopes of restoring it with his sons, Michael and Tim, and his wife Tigger, before his untimely death in 2022.
The whole Porter family worked on the restoration project together prior to Shane’s death, according to Brittany Ritzi Foust, director of communications for the Corona-Norco Unified School District.
“For me, it’s not just about teaching my students how to diagnose and repair vehicles,” Mauger said, per the school’s press release. “It’s about teaching them how to be good humans and to give back to the community.”
According to the release, the students performed engine work, fixed electrical issues, repaired the cooling system, sealed the transmission and transfer case, completed rust repair and topped the revamped car off with a shiny new paint job.
After more than a year of hard work on the project, Mauger and his students returned the sentimental Jeep to the Porter family in practically mint condition with its restoration on Thursday.
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Mauger said his students were so enthusiastic about the project because of the car’s symbolic value. Students came in before school to work on the vehicle and stayed until the last bell of the day to finish it. Seniors like Valdivia, who graduated, even returned over the summer to see the project through.
“I am so proud of my students for all of the time and hard work they put into this restoration project for the Porter family,” Mauger added in his statement.
source: people.com
