Helping people feel more confident while operating their vehicles has been on the mind of Terry John, the previous owner of Mid-Atlantic Tire Pros. He and his step-son Ben Ellison, who is now the owner of the business, thought it was about time to offer a car care clinic which did just that. John has had a heart for children and the community, organizing the Koats for Kids Coat Drive every year for the past 16 years.
Ben and Terry organized their first car care clinic for Girl Scouts who had just gotten their licenses and their mothers. John developed a handout for participants on what to do in an emergency and the two used one of the company’s loaner vehicles as a demonstration car. Mid-Atlantic Tire Pros lead technician Cody Cahall provided the hands-on instruction.
“We realized pretty quickly that the scouts didn’t understand basic car care, so we showed them how to open the hood and explained how the engine works and what combustion is,” Ellison stated.
“We then covered how to fill the windshield washer fluid and coolant, and how to use jumper cables, including the new jump boxes. The moms got really engaged in the process and wanted to learn too. We want women to feel comfortable learning about cars in a male-oriented industry.”
Pictured back row, left to right, at a recent Mid-Atlantic Tire Pro car care clinic with Girl Scout Troop #289 are Terry John, the previous owner of Mid-Atlantic Tire Pros; Cody Cahall, master mechanic of Mid-Atlantic Tire Pros; Anna Sqwaja; Ben Ellison, owner of Mid- Atlantic Tire Pros; Christa Chesley, and Gwen Fike. Pictured front row kneeling, left to right, are Lori Hammond – Troop #289 Girl Scout Leader; Kate Adelman, Morgan Fike, Jessica Hammond, and Leslie Adelman.
Sprout supplied refreshments for participants and Mid-Atlantic Tire Pros gave them each a free entry-level car tool kit as part of the experience. Participants walked away with a basic knowledge of car care and some basic tools to help them as new drivers.
One of the mothers who participated in the car care clinic, Leslie Adelman, told Ellison that her daughter texted her a picture of herself jumping someone’s car battery in a local parking lot. Her text read, “Look what I am doing right now – helping a senior at a physical therapy office. Definitely feeling more confident after the car clinic!”
Another mother, Lori Hammond, added, “I think you offer a good course that people could benefit from in our community.”
Ellison learned that maybe if we made the clinic broader, people of all ages would want to participate by creating a comfortable welcoming atmosphere. He plans for Mid-Atlantic Tire Pros to offer a two-hour clinic quarterly for the general public covering basic car care, such as understanding dashboard lights, tire pressure, standard maintenance intervals, changing the oil, and managing emergencies.
Chesapeake Forum, which provides lifelong learning courses locally, has also approached Ellison about offering the course through its program.
“We would love to partner with other local businesses in offering the clinic to more people locally. This is about helping out the community by providing a knowledge base about car care. It makes me feel better personally with my wife and kids that my wife understands the car and how to handle emergencies in it. After we offered the car care clinic, the biggest key moment for me was realizing that this can be empowering for people,” Ellison comments.
For further information about upcoming car care clinics, contact Mid-Atlantic TirePros and Hybrid Shop, call 410-770-3337, or visit midatlantictire.com or visit its Facebook page.
Mid-Atlantic TirePros and Hybrid Shop in Easton is an independently owned and operated automotive repair shop, which also provides expert care for hybrid and electric vehicles.
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