Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — May 28, 2025 — Recent Jonesboro High School (JHS) graduate Quentin Gantt got quite the surprise Tuesday morning, when the Northeast Arkansas Career and Technical Center (NEACTC) presented him with a 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
After more than eight weeks of restoration, the Chevy looked good as new when Gantt turned the key.
“I’m very humbled by this,” Gantt told JRN after the ceremony. “There’s a lot of people that struggle with transportation and things like that… to have it provided just out of nowhere, I definitely didn’t deserve it and I’m just so thankful. There’s a lot of people that deserve it a whole lot more. All I can say is thank you.”
Gantt said the vehicle will be a huge help this fall when he attends Arkansas State University Newport-Jonesboro, where he plans to study the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) program to become a trained technician.
NEACTC director Todd Rhoades told JRN that Gantt had been selected after the school’s senior spotlight on social media.
“We were spotlighting our seniors… what they’re going to do, what they’re interested in and when he told us that he wanted to finish his HVAC, but he didn’t have a way to get to ASU Newport and back. So, Miss Alex came up to me and said, ‘Do you think we can get a car donated?’ That’s when I texted them [Central Dealerships]. That afternoon, we had the car.”
Central Dealerships of Jonesboro general manager Zach Gartman noted how they became involved with the project and his initial conversation with Rhoades. Central Dealerships donated the car.
“He talked about the young man, how good he was, what his plans were, and we immediately knew that we wanted to be part of it,” Gartman recalled.
“God works in mysterious ways. I sent a text message out to my team, and within a couple of hours, a gentleman came and traded his car in. I called Todd back and said: ‘We’ve got the car and it’s not going to cost you anything. I’ll pay for the car. You can have the car,’ but everything just fell into place,” Gartman continued. “Just the timing, everything was absolutely perfect. We’re just tickled. I’m glad that we had a relationship with Todd because we get to be a part of hopefully changing this young man’s life.”
Other businesses partnered with NEACTC on the project, including Gateway Tires, which donated new tires, U-Pull It, which donated interior components, and Bumper to Bumper, which donated mechanical parts. Gantt will also be receiving a $100 gas gift card from the Parent Teacher Organization.
NEACTC special projects manager Alex Ragsdale said around 30 students worked hard on this project as they restored the old, beat-up car and turned it into Gantt’s first vehicle.
“Thanks to their dedication and hands-on skills, it’s become something really meaningful,” she said.
Ivy Burt, who graduated with Gantt and played a large role in the completion of the project said she was glad to see the car go to somebody who she knew would take care of it.
“This project means a lot to me,” she said. “I learned a lot out of this car actually, I learned how to do upholstery and interior work, and it made me feel passionate because I’ve been in this program for over three years and it’s something that I’ve finally been able to pour my heart and soul into.”
His mother, Chemaka Gantt, said this was a thoughtful project.
“They put a lot into it, and I appreciate it. It’s very generous and he deserves it,” she said. “He’s very respectful. He helps people and he doesn’t look for anything in return, and he’s very humble. Everything he does is really from the heart. It’s like he doesn’t want anything or expect anything. He will help anybody.”