Last year, American Garage's annual Bike Giveaway was disrupted by the coronavirus. Their inability to perform this altruistic gesture led to a decision to instead establish a scholarship fund. Applications for the American Garage Automotive Scholarship are due April 1.

"We were unable to give away the bikes last year due to Covid and the closure of school, so we decided this year we are going to change up our donation to the school entirely and do it in the form of a scholarship fund for graduating Blaine County seniors," business co-owner, Heather DePriest told reporters.

The American Garage plans to award two $500 scholarships to high school graduates who will be pursuing college degrees in the automotive field. Some of the fields that qualify are Automotive Technology, Automotive Mechanics, Diesel Mechanics, Automotive Engineering, Alternative Energy for Automotive, and Automotive Mechanical Design and Collision.

"Any graduating senior from any community in Blaine County that will be entering college in a career related to automotive is encouraged to apply. For obvious reasons, the automotive field is something we feel very passionate about," DePriest stated.

Students can find the American Garage Automotive Scholarship application on the business' website: http://www.americangarage.com. Applications are due on April 1 and should be mailed to Mrs. Fay Friede, Chinook High School Counselor, at PO Box 1059 in Chinook.

According to their website, American Garage believes that "investing in our area youth is the most important value we can add to the communities we serve."

Since 2016, the business has given away over $8000 in bikes to area youth that have excelled in school often because of their attendance. Now, they will award two scholarships to Blaine County graduates in the amount of $500.00 each.