We accept most car donations whether they are running or not. Your car still has value even if it’s not running. The value of the car is not solely determined on whether it runs or not. There are others factors such as the year, make and model. Some cars, even after being in an accident are worth a good sum of money. It may not be worth it to you to fix it up and get it running, but it may be worth it to someone else.

We take in a broad spectrum of vehicles (including cars, trucks, RVs, boats and motorcycles) and have multiple programs where we direct our donated cars. Some cars are turnkey and can be sold as is. Some cars need minor repairs so they can be sold as affordable transportation. Some cars have seen the end of their life and end up being recycled. All the donated cars we take in have value, even the ones we end up recycling. No car donation is too small for a charity.

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Step 1 - Vehicle Information

Provide us with some information about the car you want to donate. You can do this by either filling out the car donation form on our website or simply calling us at 800-766-2273. You will be asked for a description of your car.  It is helpful if you have the license plate number, the vehicle identification number (VIN), and approximate mileage handy.

Step 2 - Tow Your Donated Car at NO COST to YOU

Once we have your vehicle information, we will have a tow company contact you to arrange a convenient time for pick up. At the time of pick up, you will receive a receipt stating that we picked up your car. We can usually have your car picked up within 24 hours. You may also choose to drop off your car at one of our locations.

Step 3 - We Sell Your Car

Once your vehicle is sold, you will be sent an official donation receipt stating that you made a tax deductible charity car donation.  It will also include the sale price of your donated car.

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How is that possible, you ask?

Cars 4 Causes® is a charity. We are a 501(c)[3] non-profit organization. Therefore, all of the proceeds from the sale of your vehicle will be going directly to charity. If you have another cause you wish to support, we will gladly share the proceeds with the charity of your choice.

This may not be true of other car donation programs, so be sure to ask before you donate.

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So, What Kind of Car, Truck, RV or Motorcycle can I donate you ask?

Cars 4 Causes® accepts all types of vehicles for donation. If it has wheels or a rudder, a motor or a battery, chances are you can donate it.

Cars, trucks (regular and commercial), boats, recreational vehicle’s, personal watercraft, golf carts, motorcycles, motorized chairs and mobility scooters, riding lawnmowers, and even horse trailers are potential donations. We also accept heavy equipment and other motorized off-road vehicles such as ATV’s and dune buggies.

Cars 4 Causes® does have a donation approval process. We require contact information and a brief description of the vehicle in order to finalize each donation. We accept a wide range of vehicles from those in mint condition to those some might consider junk cars. You can donate your car even if it is not running. We evaluate each vehicle on its own merits and decide whether it will fit into one of our programs. We may request pictures of rare or unique items offered for donation in order to make a more informed decision (The more info you can provide up front, the quicker we can make a determination of whether your item is something we can accept). That being said, we accept most of the vehicles that people like you want to donate to us. So even if you don’t think your vehicle is worth donating, give us a try, we just might surprise you!

Please contact us if you have questions about whether we can accept your vehicle. To donate your vehicle now, please fill out the online vehicle donation form or contact one of our Donations Specialist by calling 800-766-2273 (CARE).

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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.

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One aspect is related to the price paid for scrap metal in America and overseas to markets in China and India. According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries,Inc. , the voice of the recycling industry, recycled scrap is utilized in manufacturing and currently accounts for approximately 40% of raw materials. Demand is increasing for scrap commodities in the United States and around the world. While many areas of the world economy are slowing down, other parts, such as energy, defense and aerospace remain strong.

The market trends were expected to continue for some time, and as long as demand exceeds supply, prices were expected remain strong. The current economic recession has caused the players in the commodities markets to change, many will no longer be able to continue as they have been in the past.

Our sources inform us that the price of scrap is falling. Brokers overseas are not buying in large part due to the credit crunch affecting the world economy. The end of October saw a dramatic drop in prices which had previously been strong due to the war in the Middle East, now falling due to the state of global markets. Many of these overseas markets are being adversely affected with buyers unable to meet their financial obligations. Having purchased these commodities on credit, they are unable to continue in the current economic climate. Slowing demand from manufacturers and builders is driving steel prices down and forcing producers globally to cut production.

The good news is that Cars 4 Causes® still has ways to direct cars to be recycled and get them off the road. Our affiliates are still picking up cars to be recycled at this time, and we are still able to get the highest average return in our industry for donated vehicles overall.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated as changes occur. Keep Giving Everyone!

Related posts:

1. Three Major Steps to Recycling a Car
2. Recycled Car Parts: What Becomes of them?
3. Giving Donated Cars a New Life

17 men took part in 1908 and the teams consisted of drivers, mechanics, recording secretaries and even members of the world press. This was the first recorded event that had reporters “embedded” in the process to provide first-hand commentary.

France, Germany, Italy and the United States competed on a route that took them from New York to Paris via Russia and Japan. The race spanned 3 continents and 22,000 miles. It took 6 months for the three surviving teams from the U.S., Germany and Italy to finish the course.

The U.S. Team was declared the victor with Germany second. Germany was fined a total of 30 days for not following the planned route to Alaska, and for shipping their entry by rail car in the United States.

The American entry was a 1907 Thomas Model 35 “Flyer” which had a 4-cylinder motor with a 4-speed transmission and whose maximum speed was approximately 60mph. The car was 11′8″ long and weighed about 5,000 pounds.

This Great Race popularized the use of the Auto worldwide. Today we still view cars as a way of enabling commerce, personal freedom, and as symbols of our status in our community and in society.This race has been rerun on the same route since 1908, but the original was the ultimate test of endurance.

Why is the Great Race important today? The race in 1908 was a chance for us to show our American know-how and design ingenuity. We were competing to be relevant in the modern age of 1908. This need to bring our best, most efficient designs, and good ole fashion American inventiveness is even more urgent one hundred years later.

In affiliation with the annual LA Auto Show which rolls out the cars of the next season every year in CA, Design Challenge Motor Sports 2025 will be holding another Great Race, a revival of the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix.

Design Los Angeles has an annual conference that has become an integral part of the L.A. Auto Show. More than 500 designers attended last year’s event. The very best designs are being prototyped to run in 2025.The 2008 designs are full of surprises such as “green” or reused building materials, and the ability to run on biofuels.

Once again, the designers hope for a resurgence of interest in new car designs and to hopefully come upon and have the ability to prove the viability of their concepts to consumers.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the U.S. could come up with an eco-friendly affordable car that would help to solve our dependence on fossil fuels?

That is exactly what these designers are trying to accomplish. Look at the car designs from BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen.

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Cars 4 Causes® gears up each fall and zooms along at breathtaking speed to the all-important year-end. What makes it so important? Our donations increase in the last quarter of each year, sometimes as much as 100% as donors finally make that long put-off decision to donate before the end of the tax year 2008.

We have been busy training new vehicle donation representatives and improving the customer-care skills of our staff so that all of our donors can have a fantastic donation experience. From the donation takers in the call center, to the tow department and DMV processing staff, our employees do their best to ensure that your donation experience is a pleasant one. From the feedback that we receive from our repeat and referral donors, I believe we are able to meet and exceed their expectations. We do not plan to rest on those repeats and referrals, though. We are constantly striving through internal audit,and additional training to improve even more. We don’t want to be merely a good vehicle donation charity, we want to be the best!

Once you make your decision to donate your car, we want you to have an experience that you will want to recommend to your friends, family and business associates. If you have questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Help us to improve our service to you, our most important person in any season! Remember to make your vehicle donation by December 31st to receive your tax deductible receipt for 2008. Thank you for choosing Cars 4 Causes®.

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You may have heard a radio advertisement saying you can win a free vacation, or get cash and a tax break from donating your vehicle. So many billboards, TV and radio ads citing help blind children, give your car to fight cancer, fight poverty, give to the kidney foundation, or alzheimer’s research, to find a cure for breast cancer; the list is seemingly endless.

Wow ! So many worthy causes, how do you choose? How do you pick a car donation charity that will make the most of your donation, and won’t leave you holding the bag for liability and hidden costs?

We have heard many stories about how in previous experiences, donors have received parking tickets, towing and impound fees, DMV costs etc. after they have donated their car and assumed they would never hear anything about it again. Except of course when they will receive their tax receipt only to find that once tax time rolls around, the donation program turns out to be unreachable, or simply vanishes.

These negative experiences color the potential donor’s decision about what vehicle donation program to use.

There are some people, however, that let their philanthropic hearts lead them, and we commend them for being brave enough to try it a second time. Here are some suggestions to assist you in making an informed choice.

How do you know which companies you can trust and which ones to steer clear of?

1. Do your homework!

Research. Go online. Check with your local charity registries. Talk to friends and family members about experiences they may have had donating their vehicles. Call the program you are interested in and go to their website, if they have one.

Find out all you can about how the process works, and if there are any hidden fees or costs. Make sure you understand all of the steps involved in making a vehicle donation.

2. Find out how much of the value of your car will actually go towards the cause that you want to support.

Make sure you understand the difference between gross and net payments. Ask how much of your charity dollar actually goes to the charity itself, and how much of your dollar will go to administrative costs and overhead.

Be wary if the administrative cost is too high. If the charity cites more than 20% to administrative costs, your donation might be better utilized elsewhere. Also, find out what they do with your car. Will it be salvaged? Given to a needy family? Will they auction your car “as is” or repair and sell it wholesale or retail?

The dispensation of the vehicle will determine the amount of potential tax benefit to the donor.

3. Contact your State Dept.of Motor Vehicles.

Find out how to assign your title to the vehicle, and what your responsibility is and how to release liability for your vehicle. It is important that you take responsibility and don’t simply assume that the donation program will take care of everything for you. Many organizations do not have staffing reserves in place to handle DMV paperwork and transfers of title.

4. Find out about how towing and paperwork is handled, and by whom.

Who will be making the arrangements to pick up the car? Will you need to be present to release the car? How will the DMV forms be handled? Will you be receiving a receipt for the donation? Is the tow driver an employee or a contractor of the donation program? This may be important if there is an accident or the vehicle is damaged in the towing process(many donated vehicles are uninsured). How would the donation program handle such an issue?

5. Tax Receipt
The organization you donate to must be a non-profit in order for you to get tax deduction for a charitable donation, and that company must provide you a receipt for that purpose. If they are not willing to prove their tax exempt status, or give you their Federal Tax ID number, that should be a red flag warning that they may not be a true non-profit and beware.

Make sure you are clear on the follow up to your donation regarding how much of a write off you will be able to claim for donating your car. IRS guidelines have changed within the past few years, and you should be informed as to how that works. Obviously, you want to maximize the potential tax benefit available, so finding out how the sale of your vehicle is handled is very important. Keep the organization updated with current contact information so that a tax receipt can be sent to you in a timely fashion.

It is very important that you make an educated and informed decision about where your donation will do the most good because after all, isn’t that why we give?

Related posts:

1. Donating your car vs. Selling on your own
2. Vehicle Donations - What Kind of Car, Truck, RV or Motorcycle Can I Donate?
3. There’s Room for Everyone in Grandma’s Dodge Caravan!

Poverty is affecting all of us, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. The easy thing is to give in to apathy, to continue in our daily lives and never even think about something so unseemly and ugly as poverty. It makes life so much easier when we can pass by that homeless person on the corner, and just not care. Why should we? We work, we pay taxes, and contribute to society. What do we care about some bum, or addict, or drop-out from society? My answer to these questions has a strange answer.

In this troubled economy, poverty wears a different mask. The face of a single mother trying to raise kids on a minimum wage job; a grandmother trying to survive on Social Security, a family whose sole provider is laid-off or injured, and can no longer work. A man who, after 30 years on the job finds out one day that his company has shipped their business overseas, and along with it, his retirement and medical benefits.  These are all the face of poverty in America today.

The most disturbing aspect of poverty I see in America is that for many people who are able to make a living and sustain themselves; the sad reality is that many of us are only a lost job, a storm-damaged home, a medical crisis, or a broken car away from total devastation. We think it cannot happen to us, but through no fault of our own, and a series of negative circumstances, we too could end up in poverty. Ask yourself; would there be somewhere for me to turn for help if it happened to me?

With the economic crisis we as a nation are facing, and several months to wait before the financial rescue is in place, families unable to pay their mortgages are being foreclosed upon at an increasing rate. Where will these families go for help? How will they house and feed their children? What about Seniors? Who is looking out for them?

These people on the brink need you and others like you who still have a heart and a mind to give. We know that volunteers make a difference, and so many organizations are working so hard behind the scenes to fight poverty, disease and ignorance. Silent heroes are making a real difference in the lives of hungry and hopeless people around the country.  Programs like Senior Nutrition, and Meals on Wheels exist in some cities, and there are local shelters and food banks in place throughout the U.S.  The problem is; most rescue missions, food banks and soup kitchens are donor funded, and rely on gifts to keep them open and volunteers to staff them.

I could quote a bunch of statistics about hunger and poverty, demographics and Census data.  What I really want to do is to prompt people to give more!  How do you make a nation grow a CONSCIENCE? I still haven’t figured out how. I can only hope that  my small contribution will make a difference to someone who reads it.

I feel my mission as an online representative of my charity is to interest people in possibilities. To prompt them to think, and to give.  I want people to realize that even the smallest gift will, when added to other small gifts, become someone’s life changing salvation.  I want to help people develop a giving spirit, knowing that their gift is making a difference where ever they give it.

So, I issue a challenge to you, after all, Blog Action Day, denotes taking some sort of action, doesn’t it? I challenge you to take action. If you are not currently doing anything to help with the problem of hunger and poverty in your city, start! Everyone has something to give. If you don’t have money, give of your time, talent, and other resources. Start a food drive in your office, do some hours in your local shelter or soup kitchen. Give to a Senior nutrition program. Hold a fund-raiser for a local charity that helps the homeless. If  you are a professional, give free consulting services to non-profits who can benefit from your particular expertise.

There are so many ways you can help. Find one that you can feel passionate about.  Whatever you give, you will make a difference!

If you are already giving, volunteering or donating money, give more! Those of you who are doing well are needed in all areas to help impoverished people and those on the brink. Apathy is a killer, and nothing is just that. Do something, give more!

Related posts:

1. Our first blog post!
2. Giving Donated Cars a New Life
3. There’s Room for Everyone in Grandma’s Dodge Caravan!

New and innovative ideas are being brought forth constantly, and we are happy to say that there are currently many uses for your recycled auto parts, and with increases in technology and innovation, there are bound to be increasingly more as time goes on. The answers to many of our questions on how to sustain our environment, and combat climate change and global warming lie in finding new and innovative ways to re-use and recycle more existing materials and finding ways to reduce manufacturing of new materials. Recycling just one car saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone.

AN ABUNDANCE OF CAR TIRES
220 billion car tires are discarded each year in the U.S. More than 80% of these are pulled from the waste stream and recycled. In the State of California alone there is estimated to be 32 million scrap tires taking up landfill space. This is a concern as the tires become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry diseases such as West Nile Virus.

Caltrans is finding solutions to these problems by incorporating recycled rubber into pavement base aggregates that are built into new highways and roadways. Base layers currently contain 8% recycled rubber from auto tires. Up to 50% of Caltrans base aggregates for roads contain recycled rubber. This is an improvement to previously used materials. Due to the elastic nature of the material, the roads made with the partial rubber are stronger, provide more stability and reduce cracking according to a Caltrans 2006 report. This material is slightly more costly per ton, but will need less repair in the long term.

California State Parks Department is also looking at a recycled rubber crumb material to use as footing along State Park trails and footpaths in wilderness areas. Environmental impact reports are still being done due to concerns about run-off and contamination of underground water sources or ingestion by animals. In the construction industry, recycled car tires are being turned in to carpet pads for flooring.

Rubberized AC (asphalt/concrete) is being used for roads and building materials. This material has some drawbacks in that it is costlier to buy,(about $29) per ton than conventional AC (about $14 per ton), and road workers state that the mixture has a “gummier” consistency that makes it harder to work with when heated than the conventional mixture. On the positive side; it takes less rubberized AC to perform equally well and lasts longer than conventional asphalt concrete.

RECYCLED AUTO GLASS
Tiles are made from recycled auto glass. It is used in flooring, landscaping materials, counter tops and porcelain. Auto glass is traded overseas in the secondary commodities exchanges. Indonesia and Southeast Asia imports auto glass to be used for making art glass beads and jewelry. Every ton of recycled glass avoids using 1,330 pounds of sand, 433 pounds of soda ash, 433 pounds of limestone and 151 pounds of feldspar according to EarthWorks Group. Using recycled glass to make new glass cuts related air pollution by up to 20% (wmich.edu). Mining and transporting raw materials produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for even half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%! Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent of 10 gallons of oil. Most bottles and jars manufactured today contain at least 25% recycled glass. Glass never wears out and can be recycled forever.

RECYCLED CAR BATTERIES
Nearly 99 million wet cell lead-acid batteries are manufactured annually. New batteries currently contain up to 90% recycled batteries.Most places that sell automotive batteries will also accept them to recycle, 100% of the batteries turned in will be recycled. 60% of the world’s lead supply comes from recycled car batteries.

RECYCLED STEEL AND SCRAP IRON
More than 14 million tons of steel from end-of-life vehicles is recycled annually. That is the equivalent of 13.5 million automobiles! A 60-watt light bulb can be run for over a day on the amount of energy saved by recycling 1 pound of steel.

India and China are the biggest importers of scrap steel and iron in the world. The chances are good that your recycled car could end up on the other side of the world as construction materials or other manufactured products. According to AMM (American Metal Market), which trades scrap metal worldwide; the prices for scrap metal have risen from $72.50 per ton in June of 2001 to $515.00 per ton in June of 2008.

67% of all steel made in the U.S. is made with recovered steel. This process uses only a fraction of the energy required to produce steel by tradition methods. This allows the U.S. steel industry to be able to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. The amount of energy saved each year from steel recycling is equal to the electricity needs of 18,000,000 homes per year. That’s enough energy to last Los Angeles residents for eight years according to the Steel Recycling Institute.

RECYCLED CAR PARTS
Many of the parts from your car that the dismantler removes in the 2nd stage of the recycling process are re-sold through wholesale and retail outlets all over the world. This reduces the need for the manufacture of new parts and the savings are passed onto the consumer with lower pricing for the used or reconditioned parts.

In addition to the energy saving benefits to recycling, there is an added benefit to the economy. While traditional waste management creates relatively few jobs, the recycling industry  employs more than 2.5 percent of manufacturing workers. Nationwide recycling and remanufacturing activities account for approximately one million manufacturing jobs and more than $100 billion in revenue.

Related posts:

1. Three Major Steps to Recycling a Car
2. Value of Recycled Cars Drop with Scrap Metal Prices

Step One - Drainage and Removal of Fluids

Preparing the vehicle for dismantling is vital to proper recycling. Fluids must be drained and properly disposed of. Gasoline is drained out, and the gas tank removed; to be used for the recycled metal. The average car contains about 19 liters of operating fluids. These need to be properly handled to avoid contaminating the environment. Dangerous chemicals such as the mercury in trunk and hood light switches and automotive batteries require special handling. The tires are also removed and recycled in this stage.

Step Two- Parts Removal for Re-Use

Many parts, depending on the age and condition, can be reconditioned for re-use. The car is dismantled and the re-sale parts are identified. Recycling car parts decreases the need for the manufacture of new parts. Some examples are whole front and back ends, body panels, wheels, windows and windshields. Parts that are related to the emissions systems are not re-used.

Step Three- Materials Recovery/ Recycling of Materials

Once the fluids and reusable items are removed, the car is crushed. The flattened hulk will be shipped to a shredder that will shred the car in a matter of minutes into small handfuls of metal. This generates three streams that are magnetically separated into iron, steel, and non-ferrous metal such as aluminum and what is known as Auto Shredder Residue(ASR), or “fluff”. This non-metallic material is composed of rubber, plastic, glass, foam, and electrical wiring. This is why it is vital to ensure that all hazardous materials are removed prior to this step in the process.

There is a huge market worldwide for secondary commodities. Many of these are automobile parts. There is even a commodities exchange that sets prices and trades these materials on the world market. The largest markets for scrap metal and steel are currently in India and China.

My next post will talk about a few of the items that are made from recycled car parts.

Related posts:

1. Recycled Car Parts: What Becomes of them?
2. Value of Recycled Cars Drop with Scrap Metal Prices

Today, somewhere around 135 million cars travel the nation’s roads and interstates on any given day, and next to a home, an automobile is one of the largest investments that consumers will make in a lifetime. Cars have risen from being a source of pride in ownership, and status symbols of wealth and prosperity, to a mainstay of suburban life. Eventually evolving  into a necessity for many who depend upon their cars for their work and their livelihood.

A Strange History

Here are a few fun facts that you may not know related to our beloved cars.

The first auto racetrack was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which consisted of 3 million cobblestones.

The first electric traffic signal was installed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914

The first coin-operated parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1935

The first credit card accessible parking meters were installed in Beverly Hills, California.

In 2007 the City of Los Angeles unveiled the new meters that accept credit, debit, and cell phone payments.

The first tail fins on a Cadillac were on the 1948 model. This design element lasted for over a decade.

The decade of the 1950’s was filled with auto innovations including 1953’s Chevrolet Corvette and the 1954 Ford Thunderbird; two sporty coupes that were destined to become instant classics. The 1957 T-Bird was the last of the famous initial 2-seater design. However, both Corvettes and Thunderbirds continue to be manufactured into the present time.

Electric, adjustable mirrors, power door locks and windows, padded dashboards, and seat belts became standard equipment on most cars during  the ’50’s.

1965’s Chevrolet Impala sold more than a million units in North America setting a record that stands to this day.

The Impala was a best seller throughout the 1960’s.

In the year 1972 in Los Angeles, CA, the average driver’s highway speed was 60 mph, in 1982, it was 17mph! I think it must have been around this time that they coined the term “gridlock” to refer to the LA freeway system.

The city with the greatest number of Rolls Royce automobiles per capita is Hong Kong.

Honda’s Insight is the first fuel efficient hybrid model to be made available in the U.S.

From 1992 -1996 the best selling car in all of America was the Ford Taurus.

In 2002, 30% of all cars sold in the U.S. were SUV’s.

Now the trend is for fuel efficiency. Hybrids and electric cars are being developed to run on gas and electricity. Kits are also being made available to convert diesel engines to bio-fuels at your local corner garage. What’s next for the auto industry remains to be seen as America struggles to reduce her independence on foreign oil imports. One thing is certain; Our love affair with our automobiles may change and evolve, but it will never come to an end.

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They have also opened an educational center in Lewis County, Tennessee to educate people about the work they do at the Elephant Sanctuary and about the plight of elephants in zoos and circuses. They also allow visitors to view live video feeds of the elephants at the Sanctuary.  The Sanctuary protects the elephants’ routines and habitat while still allowing visitors to view them in real time.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has an outreach program that travels nationwide, and a popular non-profit YouTube channel (ranked #61 all-time most viewed) to track the elephants in the sanctuary. I viewed their Summer 2008 newsletter online, and found it very informative with great pictures of the elephant residents making use of all features provided by the dedicated staff. They also had 2 moving tributes to grand elephants that have peacefully passed on.

Obviously, with these huge pachyderms, there is also a huge price tag. I was curious to find out about their fund-raising on the website and what it costs to foot the bill for 15-20 elephants. Granted, the elephants have a wealth of hardwood forest and vegetation to eat from at the Sanctuary’s natural habitat, but it is not able to sustain the 17 elephants currently residing there. Residents are fed a “breakfast basket” of hay and fruit daily to supplement the available wild vegetation. They have pretty well browsed the available vegetation in the habitat, but with the rich “fertilizer” they leave behind (literally), there has been a positive impact on the foliage on the grounds overall.

If you decide to donate your car to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, will it help the elephants? You bet it will! Your vehicle donation could feed an elephant for almost a whole month. Of course, this time frame could vary depending on the vehicle being donated, but anyway you look at it, that’s a lot of peanuts!

Keep giving everybody.

Related posts:

1. How to Choose the Best Vehicle Donation Program

So far, bethechangeinc.org has recorded 2652 events planned in 50 states across America. click here to enter your zip code to see what is happening in and around your community. Where can your time, talent and energy contribute the most?

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Jevon became involved as a youth participant with Echoes of Hope and their partner Bresee Foundation; both organizations target at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area. Through their programs, young people are given access to the tools and experiences necessary to succeed. These programs focus on helping young people plan their career paths and set realistic goals that will move them closer and prepare them for those careers while developing a work ethic and leadership abilities that will serve them throughout their lives.

Echoes of Hope contacted us about this amazing young man who has just completed his first year at Cal State University Channel Islands where he received honors as “Outstanding First Year Student Leader”, and was awarded the “Triumph Award”.

With the help of Echoes of Hope, Bresee Foundation and Cars 4 Causes®, Jevon is now poised to drive forward into his future in a 1996 Honda Accord! We are thrilled to be able to help him on his way and wish him great success!

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We have been collaborating with Dean and Kim Brower’s company Pulse Drumming on a local fundraising project to put music and the arts back into Ventura area schools. Pulse Drumming has been working to make their vision of sharing the arts through teaching music and dance to local children a reality. We were deeply saddened to hear of  Dean’s passing.

We send our heartfelt condolences and sympathy to Kim Brower and her family in this time of sorrow.

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The request for help came from Kaiser Permanente explaining that taking over the care of these children was a surprise and Linda didn’t have much time to prepare or make arrangements. She simply knew that her grandchildren needed her, so she accepted the task.

Cars 4 Causes® responded to this need with a 1998 Dodge Caravan which can accommodate everyone.

Linda picked up the mini van at Cars 4 Causes® on Tuesday accompanied by some of her grandchildren, who were happy and excited about the new car. Executive Director Pat Jessup revealed that she had a previous recipient lined up for the van, but it wasn’t the right match to meet her needs, “I got the call about Linda right after hanging up the phone with the other person, and thought, this van must be for her.”

We are so pleased to have been instrumental in making a difference to Linda and her family with this car donation.

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The good news is that the National 911 Memorial and Museum has approved and is building what will be a beautiful place of reverence, reflection and remembrance on the site of the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

The Memorial Museum will house artifacts and recorded oral histories related to the terrorist attacks. The National 9-11 Memorial design contest selected “Reflecting Absence”, which built two reflecting pools in the footprints of the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center. These pools have the largest continuous man-made waterfalls in the country going endlessly down the outer walls into the center of the pools. The names of the fallen from that day and also the names of the first responders to the tragedy will be listed around the edges of each pool.

More than three hundred trees have also been planted to renew the site of the World Trade Center. There will be numerous related places for visitors to stop and contemplate at this site made sacred by the extreme and tragic loss of life that day. All of this will be located near the new Freedom Tower, and three other commercial buildings which have been built during the renewal of what was, until recently, the wreckage of Ground Zero.

The Mayor of NYC has stated that the design of the National 9-11 Memorial has taken into account all feedback from the families of the fallen, as well as the suggestions received during the quest for the most appropriate design. While he knows that not everyone will be satisfied with the final result, every effort was made to respect the wishes of the families and loved ones of those who were lost. They have created a Memorial with peaceful places to go to contemplate the tragedy and pay tribute to those who lost their lives.

Family members will have a private entrance, as well as private spaces for contemplation on the grounds of the new National 9-11 Memorial.

This Memorial has been funded by donations from all over the world. Cars 4 Causes® is proud to be a contributor, along with those people who have poured out their hearts and given generously to this important project. We want to honor those emergency workers and ordinary citizens who gave on September 11, 2001. They made the ultimate sacrifice, and gave their very lives. Let us remember them today.

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Cars 4 Causes® has become known in the eBay® car auction world as a company that handles collectible cars and classic cars as well as some expensive and hard to find automobiles. One such example was brought to my attention Monday afternoon.

It was reported by eBay® Pulse that Cars 4 Causes® has the #1 most-watched car on eBay®!

Not the most expensive car by any means, but the unrestored 1964 Lotus Elan Roadster that is up for auction on our site; at the time of this writing had the most watchers of any current eBay® car auction. Each person hoping to be the final bidder when the auction ends Tuesday afternoon. The current bid is $7,000.00, and those in the know expect it to sell for up to twice that amount. The excitement grows as the auction counts down, and the bidding is fierce as all interested parties try to out-bid one another right down to the final seconds.

Cars 4 Causes® has developed a reputation worldwide for being an A+ seller, easy to do business with, smooth transactions, and vehicles are presented as described for the auction. We have sold 924 items with a 99.6% positive rating with the online service, and many buyers who comment say they will do business with us again, (and do)! This shows that Cars 4 Causes® has the knowledge and experience to describe and present the donated vehicles in a way that customers have come to trust and expect. Communication gets four-and-a-half stars out of a possible 5. Customers rave about our friendly and knowledgeable staff and the ease and quality of doing business with Cars 4 Causes®. You can see some our donated car for sale on eBay®.

Related posts:

1. Value of Recycled Cars Drop with Scrap Metal Prices
2. Giving Donated Cars a New Life