IDA Founder's Club Endowment Fund Success Story: Bernice Berry

By Jody Sedrick, IDA Board Member

Summer 2024 Detailing Bootcamp

Photo via Facebook.com/PureLuxuryCustoms

Each year, the IDA Founder's Club Endowment Fund recognizes individuals who strive to make a lasting impact in their communities while promoting detailing as a viable career path. For 2024, we proudly selected Bernice Berry to receive the endowment in support of her Summer 2024 Detailing Bootcamp.

This bootcamp was designed to provide opportunities for:

• Foster children
• Children from single-parent households with three or more siblings
• Children who struggle in traditional educational settings
• Children who are aging out of the foster care system

Participation in the program was offered free of charge, with the only requirement being a short essay on why they deserved a spot and what they hoped to gain from the experience.

Held in July 2024, this bootcamp was a tremendous success, thanks to the dedication of industry professionals and community leaders:

• Bernice Berry (Pure Luxury Tint and Detailing Training Studio) – Event host and instructor
  
• Giancarlo Rengifo (Luxury Image Detailing, Miami, FL) – Lead trainer on detailing techniques
  
• Elisia Manuel (Three Precious Miracles) – Advocate for Native American foster children
  
• Keith Call (South Mountain Auto Detail) – Business 101 instructor, teaching the basics of entrepreneurship
  
• Celina Mahinalani Garza (Native Lifeway) – Professionalism and presentation training
  
• Tricia Valenzuela (Molina Healthcare) – Health education, swag bags, and sponsorship
  
• IDA Founder's Club – Sponsorship for supplies and support
  
• Detailed Image – Sponsorship for detailing supplies
  
• Superior Image – Sponsorship and deep discounts on supplies and machines
  
• Rupes (Sarah Coleman-Lienhart & Jason Rose, CD-SV, RIT) – Resources and support
  
• Elder Joseph Manuel (Gila River Indian Community) – Spiritual leader who opened the event with a blessing

This immersive experience went beyond detailing, offering life-changing skills, including:

✅ High-quality detailing techniques using the best products and machines
✅ Entrepreneurial skills to start and manage a detailing business
✅ Professionalism – Dressing for success and presenting oneself with confidence
✅ Health & wellness – The importance of proper nutrition and self-care in labor-intensive work
✅ Resourcefulness – Finding and using quality products, networking, and researching opportunities

The ultimate goal of this event is to transform lives—to spark interest, build confidence, and equip these young individuals with skills that can shape their futures. By exposing them to real-world business challenges and professional insights, we help remove barriers and fears, empowering them to make informed career decisions.

As the program grows, Bernice hopes to expand outreach to more group homes and underserved children, providing even more young individuals with this life-changing, hands-on experience.

The program even received coverage in the local news here.

We are now accepting applications for the next round of Founder's Endowment Fund grants through Friday, October 31, 2025. Learn more here.

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the IDA.