About Beat The Heat
Beat the HEAT, Inc. is a national non-profit organization comprised of Police Officers and Firefighters who conduct educational programs using marked emergency vehicle drag cars to gain the interest of the public. Heat Members develop programs and activities to serve their individual communities using the Goals of Beat the Heat, Inc. as a guide.
GOALS of BEAT THE HEAT, INC.
1. To EDUCATE the young people of our communities about the problems of illegal drug and alcohol use and the horrors of impaired and distracted driving,
2. To ENCOURAGE young people to stay in school and be an achiever in life,
3. To PROMOTE a better UNDERSTANDING between the Policeand the communities they serve and,
4. To EDUCATE the general public about the sport of drag racing, and encourage everyone to race on the dragstrip NOT IN THE STREET.
A member of Beat the HEAT, Inc. must be an active, retired, volunteer or reserve Police Officer or Firefighter willing to educate young people and adults of the dangers of illegal drugs and alcohol, and driving safety issues such as impaired and distracted driving. Heat Members present programs free of charge to groups of all ages in schools, churches, community activities, and displays. Although supported by local public safety agencies, Beat the Heat is totally funded by the individual BTH members and their sponsors.
Programs conducted by BTH Members range from the Staying in School and the Value of an Education, Dangers of Drugs and Alcohol Abuse, Impaired and Distracted Driving, Stranger Danger, Fire Safety and our newest project…Combating Illegal Street Racing. Although Heat Teams support and participate in the sport of drag racing, educational programs are the focus of Beat the Heat members and comprise approximately 95% of the total Heat activities.
Beat the Heat (BTH) Members have an opportunity to closely interact with both young people and the general public to make a personal connection and promote a better understanding of each other. It gives the public the opportunity to see that Police and Firefighters are more than just authority figures…they are real people dedicated to serving their communities.
Beat the HEAT, Inc. has grown to over 400 members with programs in 36 states, as well as Teams in Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and the UK. Beat the HEAT, Inc. is a non-profit corporation recognized as tax exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. ALL donations are tax deductible. Each member conducts their program using personal funds and donations from sponsors. Although supported by local public safety agencies, tax dollars do not fund this organization.
For more information, visit the Beat The Heat website below!
www.beattheheatinc.org
GOALS of BEAT THE HEAT, INC.
1. To EDUCATE the young people of our communities about the problems of illegal drug and alcohol use and the horrors of impaired and distracted driving,
2. To ENCOURAGE young people to stay in school and be an achiever in life,
3. To PROMOTE a better UNDERSTANDING between the Policeand the communities they serve and,
4. To EDUCATE the general public about the sport of drag racing, and encourage everyone to race on the dragstrip NOT IN THE STREET.
A member of Beat the HEAT, Inc. must be an active, retired, volunteer or reserve Police Officer or Firefighter willing to educate young people and adults of the dangers of illegal drugs and alcohol, and driving safety issues such as impaired and distracted driving. Heat Members present programs free of charge to groups of all ages in schools, churches, community activities, and displays. Although supported by local public safety agencies, Beat the Heat is totally funded by the individual BTH members and their sponsors.
Programs conducted by BTH Members range from the Staying in School and the Value of an Education, Dangers of Drugs and Alcohol Abuse, Impaired and Distracted Driving, Stranger Danger, Fire Safety and our newest project…Combating Illegal Street Racing. Although Heat Teams support and participate in the sport of drag racing, educational programs are the focus of Beat the Heat members and comprise approximately 95% of the total Heat activities.
Beat the Heat (BTH) Members have an opportunity to closely interact with both young people and the general public to make a personal connection and promote a better understanding of each other. It gives the public the opportunity to see that Police and Firefighters are more than just authority figures…they are real people dedicated to serving their communities.
Beat the HEAT, Inc. has grown to over 400 members with programs in 36 states, as well as Teams in Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and the UK. Beat the HEAT, Inc. is a non-profit corporation recognized as tax exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. ALL donations are tax deductible. Each member conducts their program using personal funds and donations from sponsors. Although supported by local public safety agencies, tax dollars do not fund this organization.
For more information, visit the Beat The Heat website below!
www.beattheheatinc.org
About Our Car
In the words of Jack Charles, Auto Collision instructor at LTC, a 1967 Camaro is an iconic car, “one that celebrities like to buy and have restored.” Thanks to students and instructors at Lakeshore Technical College, Plymouth High School now has one of its own.
The car has a rich history after being used for racing in Sheboygan County in the late 60's and 70's. It was donated to the Plymouth High School Auto Program, but Charles described it was “pretty rusty and beat up.”
Charles first stumbled upon the Camaro while visiting with Plymouth High School instructors to brainstorm different ways for the two schools to collaborate. When Charles noticed the car sitting in Plymouth High School’s automotive shop, he was asked by teachers if LTC would consider giving it a paint job, and he agreed.
Charles saw a lot of potential in the Camaro-restoration effort, and the project quickly evolved into a bigger job than just touching up the paint because LTC wanted “to do a quality job on it.”
“We had the vehicle in 100 pieces,” Charles said with a laugh.
Charles used the restoration of the car as a final project for the most talented students in one of his LTC capstone classes, but some of his pupils went above and beyond in how many hours they put into the job.
“I’m estimating about 1,000 hours of work went into the car,” Charles said.
Besides the LTC students and instructors, Nadine Dragan, a junior at Plymouth High School, worked on the Camaro alongside her father, Bob Dragan, machine tool operations specialist at LTC.
“I learned problem-solving skills from this experience and a lot of new things about repair because I didn’t know much about body work and mechanics beforehand,” Nadine Dragan said. “This also taught me about the rich backstories that older cars tend to have, as well as how to maintain them and make them look pretty on the outside.”
The car has a rich history after being used for racing in Sheboygan County in the late 60's and 70's. It was donated to the Plymouth High School Auto Program, but Charles described it was “pretty rusty and beat up.”
Charles first stumbled upon the Camaro while visiting with Plymouth High School instructors to brainstorm different ways for the two schools to collaborate. When Charles noticed the car sitting in Plymouth High School’s automotive shop, he was asked by teachers if LTC would consider giving it a paint job, and he agreed.
Charles saw a lot of potential in the Camaro-restoration effort, and the project quickly evolved into a bigger job than just touching up the paint because LTC wanted “to do a quality job on it.”
“We had the vehicle in 100 pieces,” Charles said with a laugh.
Charles used the restoration of the car as a final project for the most talented students in one of his LTC capstone classes, but some of his pupils went above and beyond in how many hours they put into the job.
“I’m estimating about 1,000 hours of work went into the car,” Charles said.
Besides the LTC students and instructors, Nadine Dragan, a junior at Plymouth High School, worked on the Camaro alongside her father, Bob Dragan, machine tool operations specialist at LTC.
“I learned problem-solving skills from this experience and a lot of new things about repair because I didn’t know much about body work and mechanics beforehand,” Nadine Dragan said. “This also taught me about the rich backstories that older cars tend to have, as well as how to maintain them and make them look pretty on the outside.”
Nadine Dragan said she hopes her involvement in the project will encourage other women to try “getting their hands dirty” in the automotive repair industry.
“I hope more girls start signing on for the ‘guy-driven’ programs at LTC because it seems like not many girls think about going to the school for the more hands-on work,” she said. “If you want to do something, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks. LTC has a good automotive program for everyone.”
The Dragans had the honor of unveiling the 1967 Camaro to over 60 Plymouth High School students who were visiting the campus on Feb. 10. The father-daughter pair revved the booming engine and drove the silver car into the middle of LTC's automotive shop.
Beau Biller, technology education teacher at PHS, said the school plans to use the Camaro for instructional purposes at its Tech Club. However, the car will also be used as a promotional piece at car shows and will even be raced in the summer months in events such as Beat the Heat.
Charles said Plymouth High School paid LTC $1500 for the paint job that they initially requested, and LTC covered the rest of the costs once the project evolved. Charles hopes sponsors will step forward and help PHS with the cost to “keep the car maintained and updated.”
“I look at this project as a way to recruit once the high school students see the overhaul that we did on the car,” Charles said. “We hope it will help sustain the future workforce in this industry.”
For more information on LTC’s programs, visit gotoltc.edu.
Reach Leah Ulatowski at 920-453-5134, [email protected] or @Leah_Bekah on Twitter.
“I hope more girls start signing on for the ‘guy-driven’ programs at LTC because it seems like not many girls think about going to the school for the more hands-on work,” she said. “If you want to do something, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks. LTC has a good automotive program for everyone.”
The Dragans had the honor of unveiling the 1967 Camaro to over 60 Plymouth High School students who were visiting the campus on Feb. 10. The father-daughter pair revved the booming engine and drove the silver car into the middle of LTC's automotive shop.
Beau Biller, technology education teacher at PHS, said the school plans to use the Camaro for instructional purposes at its Tech Club. However, the car will also be used as a promotional piece at car shows and will even be raced in the summer months in events such as Beat the Heat.
Charles said Plymouth High School paid LTC $1500 for the paint job that they initially requested, and LTC covered the rest of the costs once the project evolved. Charles hopes sponsors will step forward and help PHS with the cost to “keep the car maintained and updated.”
“I look at this project as a way to recruit once the high school students see the overhaul that we did on the car,” Charles said. “We hope it will help sustain the future workforce in this industry.”
For more information on LTC’s programs, visit gotoltc.edu.
Reach Leah Ulatowski at 920-453-5134, [email protected] or @Leah_Bekah on Twitter.