SEMA High School Jeep Builds Raise $133K
The five fully customized Jeep Wrangler TJs built by high school students as part of the SEMA High School Vehicle Build Program raised $133,350 through an auction and one donation.
The auction event known as SEMA Week of Customs launched July 15, with the final auction closing on July 26.
The finished builds auctioned through program partner Bring a Trailer-an online auction marketplace for buying and selling special vehicles-and resulted in a total of $127,000 raised to benefit high school auto-shop programs. Bring a Trailer is also donated its auction fee to the program, bringing the grand total to $133,350.
Proceeds from the auctions are being reinvested back into the SEMA program to fund another round of builds for the five participating schools and will go toward the program’s expansion to further its reach to five new schools for a total of 10 builds during the 2019-`20 school year.
“We at Bring a Trailer are very excited to partner again with SEMA to auction these special custom Jeeps,” said Randy Nonnenberg, co-founder and CEO of Bring a Trailer. “Young enthusiasts are key to the future of the automotive hobby and we applaud SEMA for furthering their investment in this program and these students. We are very happy to again be donating our entire 5% auction fees on these Jeeps to the same great cause.”
The program partnered with C.D. Hylton High School, Comstock High School, R.L. Turner High School, Santa Fe ECO and Santa Ynez Valley Union High School to complete the semester-long build projects. Thirty-five automotive aftermarket companies sponsored these builds by contributing parts, and when paired with the craftsmanship and vision of the students, these Jeeps are truly one of a kind.
“The industry has really supported this project,” said Zane Clark, SEMA senior director of education. “Their generosity has elevated the build beyond our expectations and created a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience for the students.”
