2013 Halloween Costume Contest Results

What a great showing at Central Collision Center's annual Halloween Costume Contest! Once again, our shops truly outdid themselves. From Misfit Toys to Duck Dynasty, we saw a bit of everything this year.

Congratulations to Central Collision of Crete as The Island of Misfit Toys - our 2013 Halloween Costume Contest winner and 2013 Fan Favorite winner!

The team at our Crete location was inspired the story of The Island of Misfit Toys, which tells the story of unwanted toys that are sent to an island sanctuary.

The Island of Misfit Toys as portrayed by our team at
Central CollisionCenter of Crete.

The Island of Misfit Toys won our judges votes based on their original theme, creative costume construction and office transformation into a complete winter wonderland. Here is how our judges scores broke down:

1. Central Collision Center of Crete as The Island of Misfit Toys - 192 points
2. Central Collision Center of Mokena as Gilligan's Island - 182 points
3. Central Collision Center of Peotone as The Wizard of Oz - 177 points
4. Central Collision Center of Oak Forest as Duck Dynasty - 140 points
5. Central Collision Center of Tinley Park as Central Prison - 119 points
6. Central Collision Center of New Lenox as Bumblebees - 110 points

In our Facebook Fan Favorite voting contest, The Island of Misfit Toys took first place again. Here is how our fans voted:

1. Central Collision Center of Crete as The Island of Misfit Toys - 75 votes
2. Central Collision Center of Peotone as The Wizard of Oz - 63 votes
3. Central Collision Center of Mokena as Gilligan's Island - 48 votes
4. Central Collision Center of Oak Forest as Duck Dynasty - 41 votes
5. Central Collision Center of New Lenox as Bumblebess - 31 votes
6. Central Collision Center of Tinley Park as Central Prison - 22 votes

Thank you to all of our team members for participating and all of our fans for voting! Be sure to check in next year at Halloween to see what our teams have in store for you! To see each shops complete entry, visit our Facebook page.

Help Central Collision Collect 3,000 Items for Alicia's House Food Pantry

In an attempt to beat our 2012 donation total, Central Collision Center aims to collect 3,000 items from Nov. 1st  to Nov. 20th in our annual Thanksgiving food drive benefitting Alicia’s House Food Pantry.

Last year, Central Collision collected 1,365 donations from employees, customers and business partners. After the company’s 100% match, Central Collision donated 2,730 items to Alicia’s House. The company will provide a 100% match again this year.

Donations can be dropped off at Central Collision’s offices in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox, Oak Forest and Tinley Park, Ill. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition to non-perishable food items, the company is also requesting unopened toiletry donations.

Alicia’s House Food Pantry, a 501c3 non-profit, works to alleviate hunger by providing food at no cost to low income residents of Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, Peotone, University Park and South Chicago Heights. Located at 17 Paulsen Avenue in South Chicago Heights, Alicia’s House Food Pantry accepts food, clothing and toiletry donations year-round.

To learn more about how you can help Alicia's House, visit the food pantry's website at www.aliciashouse.org. For updates throughout the food drive, visit Central Collision's Facebook page.

17 Years and Counting

Today marks Central Collision Center of Mokena's 17 year anniversary. Central Collision of Mokena opened on December 12, 1995 and was originally located at 8501 W. 191st Street in Mokena. We moved to our current location, 9646 W. 196th Street, in 2000. This spring, we expanded our facility with a marketing office and training center that holds 100 people.

To celebrate our anniversary today, we shared some of our favorites memories and traditions (over cake, of course). Here's what some of our team had to say:

Mike Caruso, Owner/President of Central Collision Center:

Central Collision of Mokena was a huge step for our organization. It is our second location. Our team had to learn together how to run more than one location at a time and communicate well between the two. Our biggest goal was to make sure we still treated our customers as friends, even though we were dealing with many more.

My favorite memory was when Fitz (Mike Fitzpatrick, Central Collision's Chief Operations Officer) dressed up as Santa and Jill, our office manager at the time, dressed up as Mrs. Claus in 1995. Fitz still can't believe he did that!

Sandi White, Bookkeeper:

My favorite tradition at Central Collision of Mokena is Donut Day. Every Thursday, we have donuts from Fleckenstein's Bakery in Mokena. It's a tradition that started at Central Collision of Peotone and came with when we opened Central Collision of Mokena. Now, several of our locations have Donut Day.

Kristie Cooper, Customer Service Representative Manager:

I have a few favorites. One of my favorite memories is when Fitz received his official parking space on his 25th anniversary with Central Collision. 

Another is the demolition derbies we used to compete in. Every summer, some of our employees participated in the Will County Fair Demolition Derby in Peotone. We would stay after work to work on the cars together and then we would have a big family party the day of the derby before we went to the fairgrounds.

Our new classroom is also very special because it shows how far we've come since Central Collision of Mokena opened 17 years ago.

Jen as the Queen of Hearts in this
year's Halloween costume contest.

Jen Perales, Office Manager:

I have two favorites memories. First, we had a Cinco de Mayo celebration and George, facility manager at the time, rode around on our pinata.

My other favorite is this year's Halloween costume contest when we dressed up as Alice in Wonderland. 



Marissa Caruso, Public Relations:

My favorite memory has to be participating in the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade this year. We weren't completely sure what to expect because it was our first parade. But it was so much fun decorating the truck and throwing out candy to all the kids. The best part was watching my dad play "baseball" with some kids in the parking lot while we were waiting for our turn to start walking.







Thank you to all of our employees and customers who have supported us through 17 years of business. We couldn't have made it this far without you. We're looking forward to being a part of the Mokena community for many years to come!

Central Collision Center Re-Stocks Alicia's House

Alicia's House's newly remodeled space
showcases the organization's awards. 

We had the privilege of visiting Alicia's House Food Pantry Tuesday morning when we dropped off our Thanksgiving Food Drive donations. We were immediately greeted with a warm welcome from Juan and Stella Hernandez, co-founders of Alicia's House. While giving us a tour of their newly redesigned food pantry, we heard stories of struggles and triumphs of running a food pantry in South Chicago Heights.

Alicia's House Food Pantry is an organization close to

Central Collision's heart because it feeds the hungry in our local communities. Alicia's House works to alleviate hunger by providing food at no cost to low-income residents of Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, University Park, Grant Park and South Chicago Heights. They recently expanded their efforts to provide toiletries, laundry detergent and flu shots to residents in need.

Central Collision delivered 3 truck
loads of food as a result of its food drive.

Since Alicia's House beginning in 2001, Central Collision has been supporting the food pantry with our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. We reach out to past and current customers, employees, business partners and the local community to participate in the food drive by donating non-perishable food items. 

Exceeding our previous year's donations, we gathered 1,428 food items in our six offices. Central Collision matched all donations, bringing our grand total to 2,856 items donated.

“We have great people who are fortunate enough to give back and are happy to do so,” said Mike Caruso, owner of Central Collision. “Their generosity exceeds my expectations every year.”

Mike and Nancy Caruso, owners of Central Collision, present their food
donations to Alicia's House Food Pantry.

Located at 17 Paulsen Avenue in South Chicago Heights, Alicia’s House Food Pantry accepts food, clothing and toiletry donations year-round. The food pantry also collects winter coats, gloves, scarves and clothing. 

Consider donating to Alicia's House Food Pantry this holiday season. One small donation can make a local family's holiday complete.

Help Central Collision Feed The Hungry

     Every November, Central Collision hosts a Thanksgiving Food Drive to alleviate the hunger in our local communities during the holiday season. Our goal is to ensure no family in our communities has to go without food on Thanksgiving. We are committed to our communities and, as a successful small business, have a responsibility to give back. 

Hunger in Illinois remains a large issue. Based on 2011 research:

•     More than 1 in 5 children (22.2%) in Illinois face a constant struggle against hunger

•     More than 745,000 children in Illinois are at risk of hunger

•     More than 1.9 million people are considered food insecure, meaning they do not have regular access to nutritious food

•     38% of food insecure households exceed poverty guidelines

      Through the generous donations of our employees and customers, we collected 1209 food donations in our 2011 Thanksgiving Food Drive. Central Collision Center matched all donations, bringing 2418 food items to Alicia's House Food Pantry.

     We would like to exceed our 2011 Thanksgiving Food Drive donation total, but we need your help. Please bring non-perishable food items, such as soup and canned vegetables, to any of our 6 offices between Thursday, Nov. 1 and Tuesday, Nov. 20. Our offices are located in Peotone, Mokena, Crete, New Lenox, Oak Forest and Tinley Park. 

     All food donations will benefit Alicia's House, a 501c3 non-profit food pantry in South Chicago Heights. Alicia's House works to alleviate hunger and the problems associated with hunger in Crete, Beecher, Steger, Monee, Peotone, University Park and South Chicago Heights.

Central employees deliver our 2011 
donations to Alicia's House.

            Central Collision Center will match all food donations. We are happy to share our blessings with others and hope you will be able to share yours as well. 

      If you would like more information about our Thanksgiving Food Drive, please contact Marissa at marcaruso@centralcollision.com.

__                                                                                                                                                          

No Kid Hungry Illinois (2012). www.nokidhungry.org
Hunger in Illinois (2012). Feeding Illinois. www.feedingillinois.org

All Company Meeting Notes

Last Wednesday, 87 Central Collision Center employees gathered in our new classroom at our Mokena location for our semi-annual all company meeting. The meeting gave us a chance to welcome new employees, learn more about our wellness program and hear about upcoming company events.

Patty Burke, human resources manager for Central Collision, first explained the success of our wellness program. In our inaugural year, 81% of Central Collision employees were fully engaged in our pedometer program through Virgin HealthMiles. We also had 94% of eligible employees participate in our health screenings, which is above the best in class benchmark of 90%.

Burke also announced the results from Central Collision’s Race to the Finish pedometer challenge.  Central Collision of Peotone won the challenge with 204,893 average steps per employee. Ten employees had more than 200,00 steps and the employee with the most steps had more than 300,00 steps.

Mike Caruso, president and owner of Central Collision, then took the floor to announce upcoming events at Central. Some Central’s favorite traditions take place in the fall, and the excitement among employees was clear when Caruso announced them. Our annual chili cook-off lets our employees showcase their cooking skills. Each location selects a winner from its individual chili cook-off to compete in the all company challenge. Employees sample all entries and vote for their favorite. Central Collision’s winner then submits their winning recipe in the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-Off in January.

One of our most exciting days in the fall is our annual Halloween costume. Each location picks a group costume to dress up in and theme to decorate their office. Our management company travels to each location on Halloween to judge on the following categories:  originality of theme, creativity, effort, execution of overall theme, participation and office decorations. New to the contest this year is a fan favorite category. Our judges will pick an overall winner, but our Facebook fans will decide the fan favorite by liking one of the location’s pictures in our Halloween album. Visit our Facebook page to cast your vote later this month.

Our all company meeting helped us reconnect and refocus before the end of the year. We are excited for our upcoming wellness challenges and company events in the next few months. Thank you to all of the employees who helped make this meeting a great success.

Summer at Central

Can you believe it's September already? Summer flew by again! Summer is one of our favorite times at Central Collision Center. Here's how we stayed busy with summer fun:

We practiced for the upcoming baseball season:

Celebrated Cinco De Mayo:

                                                  

Brought the beach to work:

                               

 

 Made some special ice cream deliveries with the ice cream truck:

Practiced our grilling:

                          

Finally, we closed out our summer at Central Collision by walking in the Frankfort Fall Festival Parade Labor Day weekend. Thanks for another fun summer!