The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

Cars 4 Causes® sometimes receives requests from charitable organizations for car donations for individuals in need. One recent one that we were able to match with a car through the Cars 4 Causes Car Give-Away Program, was sent by the Los Angeles-based charity, Echoes of Hope.

The happy artist: Laron Wallace stands with John Huffman, president of Echoes of Hope, who appealed to Cars 4 Causes® for a car donation.

The charity wrote to us on behalf of a young artist, Laron Wallace. The young man was “in dire need of reliable transportation,” wrote John Huffman, president of Echoes of Hope. He went on to tell us a bit about Laron.

What Convinced Us to Help

It turns out that this amazing young person has overcome tremendous obstacles in his life. After his abandonment by his father and the death of his mother, Laron spent his childhood and adolescence in the foster care system.

His was not an idyllic childhood, not by any stretch of the imagination. Despite these early years, though, Laron has grown up to be a well-rounded, hard-working student.

He works and attends college, and he has very realistic dreams of a future in art.

Drawn by Laron Wallace, this picture captures his appreciation for his donated car. Look closely and you’ll find a few keywords in the art, like Toyota Corolla, Cars 4 Causes, and his “thank you”, too.

Recently, his car froze up, and the cost of repairs equaled more than the car’s value – and much more than Laron had in his wallet, too!

Echoes of Hope appealed to Cars 4 Causes®, the Charity that Gives to Charities®, and we were able to help. We found a 2002 Toyota Corolla for Laron.

A Future Filled With Art

So, this young artist is continuing his studies, supporting himself with his work, and getting to and from it all in his car, a car that came to us from a generous car donor. Learn how to donate car today!

When the State of California recently cut $11.6 billion out of the public education budget, the losers were our young students. Art, music, physical education – all the “extras” — face a high probability of getting cut. What a loss this is!

What can a parent to do to help? We’ve identified a few ways:

• Volunteer for your child’s classroom
• Volunteer for your school PTA
• Donate money to your child’s school

• And we’re adding another: Donate car to your California school of choice.

Donating Cars to Schools of Your Choice

We’ve set up a Save Our Schools section of Cars 4 Causes, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, to make it easy for you to donate a car and dedicate the proceeds to the California school of your choice. You’ll receive the same tax benefits as with any car donation, and you’ll be helping your child’s school.

Why We Care

The problem with cutting the arts and physical education programs, as we see it, is

Children learn teamwork and discover new horizons in their arts programs.

that these programs enrich the lives of our children. Gym classes teach team skills (a great predictor of success in corporate life!), and art and music programs broaden our children’s views of life’s possibilities. Who knows what talents our kids will discover within themselves, given the opportunity?

We care about kids and education; in fact, our concerns about education were the reason we originally launched Cars 4 Causes. Now, Cars 4 Causes is the most highly respected  car donation program in the nation, and we think we can lend a hand to help our schools through tough times.

Check out our Save Our Schools section on the Cars 4 Causes Website. Our kids need our help.

This year’s Annual Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest (our 3rd) warmed our hearts and opened our minds again. Take a look at these thoughtful posters. The children were asked to draw a picture of Your Favorite Way to Help Others.

1st through 3rd grade winners of Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest

Notice one thing they all have in common? We think there’s something there, and we’re calling it: helping in any way you can. First-grader Maria helps by giving toys and food to others and by visiting friends in the hospital. Third-grader Ketsie helped with a car wash; that was her favorite.

Each poster tells a story, and we’ll let you enjoy ‘reading’ the children’s stories and messages in their art. They’re all here.

4th and 5th grade winners of Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest

At Cars 4 Causes, we rediscover every day that charity and the desire to help others is an all-embracing human quality. We see it in the children’s art, and we see it in adults who donate cars to charity.

While it’s true that we adults get a tax deduction with our car donation, we also help the charity of our choice, and that’s the real driving force behind the desire to donate a vehicle – helping others. I guess we know that; the kids just remind us when we give them a chance.

The Prizes

Each of the children who won at their grade level received an art kit; their school received $1,000; and that student’s class was able to designate $1,000 to any non-profit organization of their choice. [You can see more on eligibility and participation in the Annual Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest in our May blog.]