The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

Cars 4 Causes® Partners with Project: Hollywood Cares to Donate Much Needed Vehicle to Military Family

By M.Smith

(Los Angeles, CA) December 25, 2010 – Cars 4 Causes®, the charity that gives to charities, today donated a 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton car to Project: Hollywood Cares. The vehicle was then presented to the Morales family in a surprise Christmas day visit to their home in Hawthorne, California, home where Edgar and Wilma Morales, their nine-month old son, and a large gathering of close relatives had all assembled to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

Sergeant Morales & family enjoy thier Christmas Day surprise from Cars 4 Causes and Project: Hollywood Cares.

“It was a wonderful moment,” said Matthew Smith, board member of Cars 4 Causes®, “Tom Fick of Project Hollywood Cares, our Executive Director, Pat Jessup and I met the Morales Family at their home and surprised them with our special gift. We wanted to honor Sergeant Morales for his service and sacrifice to our country.”  Now back in the US, Mr. Morales has a lengthy commute to Camp Pendleton everyday and with only one car, it was quite challenging for Mrs. Morales to take care of their 9 month old, manage the house and attend school where she is finishing her degree. “A second car is exactly what they needed to relieve the stress and burden of their hectic and demanding schedules,” said Mr. Smith.

Looking to donate the car to a veteran in need, Cars 4 Causes® sought out local military-focused charity, Project: Hollywood Cares, to source a deserving family for this special Christmas giveaway.  At 11am today in Hawthorne, California, Cars 4 Causes® and Project: Hollywood Cares surprised returning war veteran, Edgar Morales, with the new car at their home and a large stuffed puppy dog for their son.

Edgar, a Sergeant for the US Marine Corp, returned home in November after completing an extended tour in Afghanistan. With Edgar having a 4-hour daily commute to report to Camp Pendleton each day, his wife Wilma in school finishing her degree, a new baby at home and only one vehicle between them, the Morales’ were very much in need of reliable transportation.

“I can’t believe this surprise on Christmas Day! I am shocked and so grateful for this car,” said Edgar Morales, Sergeant in the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Supply division at Camp Pendleton. “Thank you very much to Cars 4 Causes® and Project: Hollywood Cares.  This car is perfect and it will be a huge help to me and my family.”

“We are thrilled to have partnered with Project:  Hollywood Cares to give this great vehicle to the deserving and gracious Morales family on Christmas Day,” said Patti Palmer, President of Cars 4 Causes®. “A main focus of Cars 4 Causes® is to ensure that help goes where it is needed, so to see this final outcome of people’s charity is what it’s all about at the end of the day. This is a very fulfilling way for us to end the year, and also encouraging for continuing our hard work in 2011.”

Cars 4 Causes®, America’s first vehicle donation charity, accepts donations of all vehicles – cars, boats, motorcycles, and RV’s – expertly evaluates each donation and, if cost effective makes necessary repairs in order to sell the vehicle while ensuring the highest tax deduction value and net proceeds to charity.  A select number of vehicles are donated each year directly to families in need through the Cars 4 Causes® Give-Away Program, as is the case with the Morales family.

“I couldn’t be more pleased to have worked with Cars 4 Causes® to surprise a wonderful family in need with the car on Christmas Day,” said Tom Fick, founder of Project: Hollywood Cares. “Over the last 6 years since I began Project: Hollywood Cares, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many people in need and many charitable individuals willing to lend a hand.  In this case, Cars 4 Causes® was the perfect fit for the Morales family, and I look forward to more initiatives like this to support our soldiers and veterans.”

Project: Hollywood Cares distributes products of the entertainment industry, such as DVDs of popular movies, to deployed troops, wounded soldiers in military hospitals and the surviving spouse & children of fallen heroes in efforts to support America’s military personnel for their dedicated service and sacrifice. As the charity grows through various partnerships and greater awareness, expanded programs of special projects, events, outings and hospital visits begin to offer additional support to the mission.

To see how you can help through these charities, please visit www.cars4causes.net and www.projecthollywoodcares.org.

About Cars 4 Causes®

Originally founded in 1997 by concerned parents to support education for children with disabilities, Cars 4 Causes® is a 501(c)(3) charity that accepts vehicle donations, evaluates and makes cost-effective repairs if warranted, sells them to consumers and dealers, and then donates the proceeds to the charity of the donors’ choosing. Using three main areas of sale – retail, wholesale, and clean air, Cars 4 Causes® is able to receive the highest return on vehicle donation in the industry. Since its founding, Cars 4 Causes® has received over $100 million in donations from over 150,000 vehicles, and has shared proceeds with over 15,000 charities.

About Project: Hollywood Cares

Project: Hollywood Cares is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation supported by concerned citizens, veterans, volunteers and entertainment industry professionals. It’s threefold mission is designed to boost morale, express gratitude and improve quality of life military issues while supporting America’s service personnel presently tasked with multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan & Iraq, help wounded soldiers rehabilitating in military hospitals and provide financial support & assistance to the surviving spouse and children of our fallen heroes killed in action. PHC’s detailed command support program provides large entertainment libraries that include the four major products of Hollywood, (Emmy nominated television programs, feature films, music CDs and video games). The charity conducts a wide program of visits, outings, events and special projects in support of active duty personnel, military families and rehabilitating wounded soldiers.

Our Team Cars 4 Causes^® Food Drive to support Project Understanding brought home enough food to fill the back of a large SUV.  “As the frosting on the cake, we even received two $100 grocery gift cards making this a very successful community event.” exclaimed our President, Patti Palmer.

The food drive was held from October 25^th to November 19^th, with drop boxes located at County Commerce Bank locations throughout Ventura, as well as Cars 4 Causes^® headquarters.  We worked in conjunction with Project Understanding because they have a great operation that makes sure those in need receive emergency food supplies when needed.

Team Cars 4 Causes^® members gathered all of the overflowing drop boxes and, together with our executive director, Pat Jessup, delivered them to Project Understanding, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Rob Orth, Executive Director of Project Understanding met Team Cars 4 Causes^® at the entrance to the Food Pantry where staff members from both organizations unloaded the food items and together stocked the Project Understanding shelves in anticipation of their holiday need.

“People in need come directly to the food pantry. They go through a brief interview process so that we can understand their need for emergency food. They usually receive enough food to last three or four days,” explained Mr. Orth, as he gave a warm and hear-felt “Thank You” to Cars 4 Causes^® and all the Team Members.

While we were stocking the shelves a young mother with 4 small children were receiving their emergency food supply. The biggest thanks was to actually see how our hard work and donation is used to directly help those in need during this holiday season.

Team Cars 4 Causes® is a dedicated group of caring employees and volunteers that come together to support local charitable causes.  Another way Cars 4 Causes^® gives back to the community.

Cars 4 Causes®, “The Charity That Gives to Charities,”^® is America’s first vehicle donation charity. We are America’s most trusted and recognized choice for turning your vehicle donation into cash for charity. Since 1997, we have received over 150,000 vehicle donations; raised more than $100 million; and shared proceeds with more than 15,000 charities, schools and/or religious organizations throughout the United States. So what are you waiting for? Make a car donation today!

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. Make a car donation today!

Monday January 18, 2010 was the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. We at Cars 4 Causes ® couldn’t let a “day of service” come and go without doing a little something extra for the community.

So after a bit of searching through our database of supported charities, we happened upon Project Linus, a charity that gives new, handmade blankets and afghans made by volunteers to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.

It was a perfect match. The staff at Cars 4 Causes ® is a creative bunch with a serious knack for arts and crafts. We ended up making six blankets for Project Linus, all of which were not only warm and functional but absolutely adorable.

As The Charity That Gives To Charities®, Cars 4 Causes ® has always embraced the concept of helping others as one of our core values. But it’s not just a job; it’s a way of life.  And we’re not just employees, we’re community members.

Whether you volunteer, give financial support or donate car, you truly can make a positive impact on the lives of those in need. In the spirit of giving, especially in light of recent events, Cars 4 Causes ® encourages everyone to do what they can to make a difference, and help others in their times of hardship. Make a car donation today!

Of the top 25 most stolen cars according to CCC Information Systems, a company that tracks theft and vehicle damage for the auto insurance industry, there is one car that makes the list six times. The study shows the Acura Integra model years from 1998 – 2001 as the most stolen and least recovered car of the twenty-five. This list was compiled from 350 property and casualty insurers in North America.

The reason the Acura is seen so frequently on the list is due to the swapability of many of the parts, and the engines themselves into other cars. The Acuras are being stolen, then the serial numbers ground off the engines. These popular double-overhead cam engines are then put into Hondas.

The reason? According to the Los Angeles Police Dept., it’s street racing. Illegal street racers run their cars hard until parts fail, then steal Acuras for the replacement parts. Acuras are easy to steal, and it is a cheaper way to repair their car compared to buying and installing a replacement engine. Street racing has become increasingly popular in metropolitan coastal cities in recent years. The trends towards certain makes and models being most-stolen has a direct correlation to the rise in popularity of car models used for street racing.

In addition, in Los Angeles, there is also a large market for older model Toyotas and Hondas because those makes tend to be more reliable and stay on the road longer than most, therefore are more desirable.

BMW’s 2001 M-series Roadster tops the list even though there were only 5,000 registered in the US at the time of the report’s release. This make and model made the list due to its popularity with car thieves. There was one stolen for every 200 on the road.

Surprisingly, large SUVs, mostly high-end luxury models also made the list despite high gas consumption, mostly due to the fact that these cars hold their value. The Cadillac Escalade, for example placed 23rd. It’s wheels and tires alone can be worth $10,000.on the street, while small cars that can be chopped up and sold for parts were the majority of cars stolen. Many of the older model SUVs did not have a computer chip anti-theft device installed at the factory which accounts for their popularity with thieves. Even a mid-1990’s model SUV can be worth in the tens of thousands on the underground markets.

The top 10 most stolen vehicles, least recovered list for 2006 according NICSB (the National Insurance Crime Bureau), was headed by 1995 Honda Civic.The 1990 Acura Integra placed 10th.