December 21, 2012 - Universal Technical Institute Dallas Campus Gives Back to the Community

: UTI-DFW staff and their families hand out toys to in-need children at Christmas in the Park.

The Universal Technical Institute Dallas/Ft. Worth campus (www.uti.edu/dfw) is celebrating the holiday season by helping families in need. The campus recently completed a food drive for the North Texas Food Bank that ran from November 12 to November 28. Founded in 1982, the North Texas Food Bank is a Dallas non-profit hunger relief organization that distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of more than 340 Food Assistance Partners in 13 counties across North Texas.

Students and staff brought in 2,441 cans of food, approximately 900 more cans than last year. Jesse Torres, an instructor at the campus, told his students that he would personally match the amount of canned food they brought in. His class ended up donating 296 cans of food, which Mr. Torres matched.

“The generosity of the students and staff at our campus is truly a wonderful thing to see,” said Keith Pittman, Universal Technical Institute Dallas/Ft. Worth Interim Campus President. “Not only are we here to train the next generation of automotive and diesel technicians, but we are also committed to giving back to the community where we live and work.”

On Saturday, December 15, staff members donated their time at Dallas’ largest holiday charity event, Christmas in the Park. Christmas in the Park, held at Fair Park in Dallas, provides Southern Dallas families in need with everything from a hot meal to basic necessities like clothes and household items to bikes and toys to help make a child’s Christmas wish come true. Run by the S.M. Wright Foundation, this annual event has grown from serving less than 200 underprivileged kids in 1998 to an estimated 40,000 residents at this year’s event. The Universal Technical Institute staff and their families distributed toys to the children that attended the event.

The campus will continue to explore new ways to give back to the community in the new year. To learn more about the UTI Dallas/Ft. Worth campus, visit www.uti.edu/dfw.