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.

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 your 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.

Tags: blankets, Cars 4 Causes®, charity, community, community service, Project Linus, volunteer

Imagine putting your heart, soul and a hefty sum of money into something you love, only to have it unjustly ripped away from you without warning. That’s what happened to Barry.

He worked hard to raise the funds to purchase a 1941 Studebaker Champion Coupe, which he intended to fix up as a project car. On Wednesday evening, January 6^th 2010, according to witnesses, it was stolen right out of the driveway!

Barry posted an ad on Craigslist, http://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/1544223163.html, offering a $1000 reward to the person who leads to the recovery of the car.

“Help me find this Car !… This is a Lousy feeling… Imagine if you had worked very hard for something for a Long time, and some low life takes it away from you !… I feel like my child has been kidnapped…”

While Cars 4 Causes®is a national charity, we never forget our roots or our neighbors. We’re helping to spread the word about Barry’s car, and hoping that everyone’s efforts will get it returned to its rightful owner. We’re asking that everyone in the Ventura County area keep an eye out for Barry’s car, and contact Barry at 805-218-3658 if you see the car or have any information that could lead to its recovery. It’s a very unique car, and there are currently no cars like it in Ventura County, so if you see it, don’t hesitate to call.

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

When car donors make their donations to Cars 4 Causes®, they choose which charities will benefit. We have more than 13,400 charities on our current list, and we’re adding new ones all the time.

We also have the Cars 4 Causes® Charity Partners Program. (Within this program, non-profit organizations designate Cars 4 Causes® as their car donation charity, and our experienced team then works directly with them to take care of their vehicle donations.)

We thought you’d like to hear about a few of our newest Charity Partners that focus their efforts on animals.

Ace of Hearts is a dog rescue foundation.

Ace of Hearts. This is a dog rescue foundation for animals in need. Its members rescue dogs from shelters, saving them from potentially being euthanized. Ace of Hearts is devoted to reducing pet over-population and finding these dogs happy, healthy homes.

Friends of Animals finds homes for abused cats and dogs

Friends of Animals Foundation. This charity rehabilitates and finds homes for abused, neglected and abandoned cats and dogs. They run a no-kill shelter that takes animals in, some in devastating conditions. The Friends of Animals Foundation is committed to finding responsible and loving adoptive families that will give these animals a second chance at a good life.

New England Equine Rescues. This organization is a network of volunteers who love horses. The New England Equine Rescues group facilitates the humane treatment and placement of horses, mainly focusing on crisis intervention.

See our list of charities on our Website – You’ll find many, many animal rescue organizations you can designate when you donate a car through Cars 4 Causes®. We’d love to list them all here; they range from the Bat World Sanctuary in Texas to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee to the Maui Humane Society.

Your car donations span geography and charity to help those in need.

Tags: car donations, Cars 4 Causes®, Charity Partners, choosing a vehicle donation program, Elephant Sanctuary