The Cars 4 Causes Blog. Car Donation Program Nationwide.

We were eager to help Zaira out when we heard her touching story of keeping hope and being triumphant over terrible circumstances.

Zaira endured a painful and abusive childhood before she immigrated to the United States in 1995. Forced to continue living with a neglectful and demeaning parent, she was left feeling discouraged, unsupported and completely alone. She had nearly lost hope by the time she was placed in the foster care system.

It was at this point that Zaira’s life drastically changed for the better. She made her way through grade school, graduated high school, and is now in college, working towards becoming a Registered Nurse.

“I was on my journey to become someone”, she says. ”So far, I am doing excellent….For the past years, I have had many obstacles, but I have never given up and I never will.”

Zaira didn’t just believe in herself, she put in the work, and it has paid off in a big way. One obstacle that Zaira couldn’t overcome alone though was her lack of transportation.  She saved money and bought herself a car, but the cost of continually having to pay for repairs quickly became too cumbersome, and the car eventually ceased to work.

Cars 4 Causes® was happy to help. We provided Zaira with a 2003 Toyota Corolla. It’s our hope that, with the help of her new car, she will be able to continue to thrive in school and in life, and continue to meet her goals and fulfill her dreams.

Donating a car, volunteering time and donating to a charity – all are wonderfully generous acts. We are so continually awed by the generosity of volunteers. For all these reasons, we were pleased recently to meet a volunteer who gives endless hours of his time and expertise to charity. He also, until recently, donated the use of his car.

Ivan receives a car donation from Cars 4 Causes (R)

Ivan is one of the behind-the-scenes people who make many of the youth programs, major events and Sunday services happen for the AGAPE International Spiritual Center in Culver City, Calif. He designs sets for the group’s events. He makes great use of fabrics, which helps keep costs down.  He finds the fabrics, picks them up, takes them to get fire-proofed, and then creates beautiful sets out of them.

A bonus of his efforts: he inspires other volunteers of all ages to help create the sets. And the result: beautiful, collaborative works of art that inspire the moment and also create a sense of community for one and all.

Donated Car Replaces Used-Up Vehicle

As we mentioned above, Ivan donated the services of his car as well as his own time and efforts. But then his 1984 Plymouth hit the 180,000 marker on the odometer, and it began to cost more and more in repairs. Not only was Ivan buried in repair costs, but he also could not afford to replace the vehicle. Fortunately, AGAPE contacted Cars 4 Causes® and through the Cars 4 Causes® Car Giveaway Program, we were able to find a donated car for Ivan.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of most not-for-profit organizations – from social and health services to environmental causes to religious groups – and we were pleased to be able to help one volunteer continue to give to his cause.

Tags: Car Donation, Car Give-Away, Car Give-Away Program, Cars 4 Causes®, charity, Volunteer Projects

In July we talked about a Cars 4 Causes® car donation that keeps on giving – a specially equipped van that was donated by Laura, whose husband had ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease).  When he passed away, Laura started a string of generous donations when she donated the van to Cars 4 Causes® and stipulated that the van be given to someone with ALS.

This Honda Odyssey van, equipped with a chair lift was donated with the stipulation that it go to a person with ALS.

The van is a 2007 Honda Odyssey outfitted with a chair lift and it was given to Norris, whose wife, Loretta, told us that it made an enormous difference in his last two months of life, making it possible for him to get out of his house and enjoy a drive through the countryside. When he passed away, Loretta donated the van back to Cars 4 Causes®, continuing the stipulation that it go to someone with ALS.

It was given to Sherry, who had ALS and who – on the day she received the van – said she would donate it forward to someone with ALS when she passed away. Sadly, that day came recently, and the van was donated back to Cars 4 Causes® to continue its journey of helping people in need.

The Honda Odyssey has now been delivered to Ronald, who also has ALS. He’s using it to get him to work four days a week, and we hope he’s going to be using it for a long, long time.

When we first talked about the van in July, we mentioned that it’s been dubbed “the car with angel wings”.  We still call it that. And we send our heartfelt thanks to the courageous people who have used it and donated it to others in need.

Tags: ALS, Car Donation, car donations, Cars 4 Causes®, donated car

Wondering what happens to dear old Betsy once you donate her? Judging from our phone calls, many people do want to know where their old car goes, so we thought we’d share what happens here when a car donation arrives. Whether it’s a relatively new car or a very old family friend, it gets star treatment at Cars 4 Causes®.

When you donate, you determine what charity benefits from your vehicle donation, and we make sure we make the most of the donation for both you and your charity. (See our list of over 13,400 charities.) Some cars not designated with a charity enter our Give-Away Program that directly benefits needy individuals.

Choosing the Best Route for Your Car Donation

We have our own sales locations where we evaluate the car to determine its route.

• When it is cost-effective, we make major or minor mechanical repairs, and then we detail the cars and advertise them for sale. The cars, vans, trucks and other vehicles are sold, and then they move on to their new owners.
• Some cars go to auction, as this is the best route for them, for the best return.
• If the cars are not road-worthy, we recycle them through salvage and scrap channels. The scrap is recycled, turning up next in a surprisingly wide array of products – your new bicycles, your new appliances, new cars.

Your Tax Deduction

At the completion of any of these sales processes, you receive a tax deduction receipt for the donation. And, because of these evaluation and sales processes, Cars 4 Causes® The Charity That Gives To Charities® receives the highest average return for you in the industry! You benefit from this success in your tax write-off, and your charity benefits with a corresponding donation.

So, whether it’s old Betsy or that slightly used car in the garage, your donation is honored and appreciated all along the donation route.  Thank you for your generosity.

Tags: Car Donation, car donations, Car Give-Away, Car Give-Away Program, Cars 4 Causes®, donated cars for sale, Recycling Cars

It’s back-to-school time around the nation, and we’re happy to say that this year, Cars 4 Cause® was able to help two students on their way to college. The only thing standing between these two courageous and hard-working students was transportation.

They were brought to our attention by Echoes of Hope, an organization that helps emancipated foster youth. The charity appealed to us through the Cars 4 Causes® Car Give-Away Program. They were seeking help for two of the youth in their program who had been accepted into college but had no way of getting there.

Here are the students’ stories and why we were thrilled to be able to help:

Truck donation helps Sealy, a straight-A student, go to UCLA

Shealy was a straight-A student in high school (4.06 grade average!). She was in the foster care system for years, but instead of letting the hardships of her life defeat her, she became a track athlete and a model student. She was accepted into the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). But to go to school, she needed reliable transportation. The logistical reality was that without a car, she could not attend.

The kind donation of a pickup truck made the difference for her; she’s now on her way to classes at UCLA.

Car donation helps Darryl, a straight-A student, attend CSULA. Darryl stands beside his car, with his friend who drove him up to pick up the donated vehicle.

Darryl was also a straight-A high school student. His life up to now has also been hard. He was 7 years old when he entered foster care. He describes his early years as “random disorganized disaster.” Darryl made it through a sad and often terrifying youth, and now he is majoring in Sociology at California State University, Los Angeles. He wants to make a difference in the lives of others.

He’s on his way to classes in a donated car, a car that he’ll remember for life as the car that made a difference for him.

The Cars 4 Causes® story began with the desire to help fund the education of young people, and we’re especially happy to share this back-to-school story. It reminds us of what an impact a charitable donation can have on the lives it touches.

To see the variety of ways your vehicle donation can help, check out the Cars 4 Causes® list of approved charities - over 13,400 charities at last count, from international organizations to regional branches, to local community charities.

Tags: car donations, Car Give-Away, Car Give-Away Program, Cars 4 Causes®, Echoes of Hope, Education, vehicle donation