The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

As far as my husband and I have come in our lives – gotten our educations, own a home, have an adopted son – none of it has come by easily or cheaply.  I paid off my student loans only 10 years ago at the age of 42, and remember times during my struggle to finish college and grad school when I was down to my last couple of pieces of bread and peanut butter, even though I was working two jobs.  But I was too proud to ask my parents for money.  There were several times when I recall an “angel” in the form of a friend had intervened just at the right moment and sent me a check or slipped me a $20 bill, getting me through.

One afternoon, after a play date, we heard that the mom of my son’s best friend had just gotten her car repossessed, and we felt sad and very anxious for her.  A single parent of three young children, she depended on that car to get to her job as an ER nurse, to get her kids to school – essentially to live independently.  No car meant no job, which meant possibly losing her apartment and ending up in a homeless shelter.  We have always known her to be a good mother and responsible person to her commitments and we knew the loss of her car was not from carelessness or overindulgence.

Even though my car was just a couple of years old, my long commutes to Pasadena for my work were taking a toll on my back and I was looking to upgrade to something  with more back support.  I was not in a hurry to do this, wanting to get a little more life out of this current Ford, but it had been crossing my mind.  That evening after dinner, I turned to my husband and said, “Is there any reason at all that we shouldn’t donate my car to charity for to benefit someone like our son’s best friend’s mom?”  His face lit up and had that grin that tells me we were both on the same page.  He said, “Absolutely no reason at all.”   We were referred to a donate car program known as Cars 4 Causes because their Cars 4 Caring program has a reputation of making sure that car donations get into the hands of those most in need.

Sure, we could have sold that car and pocketed the $20K.  But the truth is, we are doing fine.  And given that we are older parents who most likely will not live long enough to be grandparents, we didn’t want to miss the experience of being the ones who could give what it takes to help someone get through. Giving a car to charity that will allow someone like our son’s best friend’s mom  to not have to worry about a car payment for the next 7 years or so, well, that was exactly the kind of “angels” we wanted to be.

Anonymous

TEAM CARS 4 CAUSES^® HELPS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN PIRU, CA.

M. Smith

February 1, 2011

Team Cars 4 Causes volunteered to assist Habitat for Humanity in the construction of a custom home in Piru, California this past weekend.  It was a tremendous turn out on a sunny Saturday in southern California.  Honorary Team Cars 4 Causes member, Peter Livingston of Livingston Construction, his son Ian and his lead foreman Rafa, led the way for Team Cars 4 Causes, teaching team members the basics of home construction and providing guidance for those difficult tasks.

Normally, building a house is a daunting task; first you have to buy the land, hire an architect and engineer, draw up the plans to your new home, convince the city to give you permits, find a bank willing to finance your dream home and select a contractor that can see your project through and stay within your budget.   Millions of variables to stay on top of, any one of which can delay your home or blow your budget.

But as we found out here at Cars 4 Causes, a Habitat for Humanity house is different.  Sure the steps are the same, no cheating the system there, but the house is built from an environment of friendly, good-spirited collaboration, and it makes all the difference in the world.  The on-site vibe is fun and energetic.   People volunteer their time to help build these houses and you can feel the affinity volunteers have for their fellow crew members as well as the entire process itself.  There’s tolerance, patience and a helping hand at every turn.  These volunteers aren’t expert tradesmen, so when someone makes a mistake or doesn’t know what to do, everyone helps out to make sure the job gets done and the people doing it feel good about their contribution.

Our job today was to seal, caulk and paint the eaves of the house and install the siding on the home’s exterior.  Six of our team members worked on the siding and the remaining two accepted the task of caulking, sealing and painting the eaves.  Habitat for Humanity Site Manager, John Kestler gave us all instructions on safety and our specific tasks and sent us on our way.  There were a few challenging moments, a lot of questions for Peter, who guided us brilliantly through all the technical matters -  lots of laughs.  We had the privilege to work alongside the new owners who are required to contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” in their new home.  Having them there really personalized the experience for everyone.

I think it was Rudolf Steiner, speaking of biodynamic farming techniques, who pointed out that energy is an important ingredient that must be considered in the health of what we produce.   Having experienced what goes into a Habitat for Humanity home, I can see that all the fun,  laughs, love and positive energy that went into its construction is as  important a raw material as the concrete and lumber that make up this house.   I know now that this is the Habitat for Humanity difference.

The house we worked on belongs to Richard and Susan Vergana and their two daughters.  The Vergana’s are members of the Maximillian Kolbe Church in Westlake Village who is sponsoring the construction of the house.   Their new home is being built on a site that was once a 40-room hotel.   The site was demolished and construction began in nearly a year ago, in March.   Construction is expected to be completed in June of this year.

Because of the US recession and its impact on the construction industry, Habitat for Humanity has become the 5^th largest construction company in America.   However, their reliance upon construction industry contributions has been severely impacted and volunteers like Team Cars 4 Causes play a much larger role in the construction of a Habitat home than may have in the past.

All of us here at Cars 4 Causes are proud of our contribution to Habitat for Humanity and the Vergana family.   We are excited for the completion of the Piru house this summer and are sure the Vergana family will be happy living in their new home.

Cars 4 Causes – We are more than just a car donation charity. We do our role to hand our support in the community.

Cars 4 Causes Partners with Team Gypsy Kids to Adopt 7 Ukrainian Children.

Pat Jessup

January 27, 2011

Angelina and Brad aren’t the only ones adopting kids these days.  Cars 4 Causes recently teamed up with Gypsy Kids and adopted 7 children from the Ukraine; Luli, Kati, Gabor, Misko, Norbi, Roman and Amanda. 

Ranging in age from 2 years to 8 years old, our Gypsy Kids are orphans who were left in the Mukachevo region of the Ukraine.  These children are abandoned and run loose in this region without parental care or supervision.  Team Gypsy Kids is a Christian based ministry who has set up a camp for these orphaned children.  They provide the kids with 2 meals a day, clothing and other basic needs.  Team Gypsy Kids ministry has also installed a flushing toilet and provided 2 working gas stoves to prepare meals. During the winter in Mukachevo, Ukraine the temperatures drop to -35 degrees, so they also provide jackets and clothing for these children.  

Cars 4 Causes has committed monthly financial support for these children and will be able to support their progress as Team Gypsy Kids helps to improve their lives. In addition to financial support, employees of Cars 4 Causes are donating jackets and clothing that can be delivered to our little ones in the Ukraine.

Currently, Team Gypsy Kids has about 160 gypsy orphans with about 65 sponsored. They need all the support they can get to provide meals and clothing to keep these children safe and warm!  If you to want to adopt a Gypsy Kid, it only takes about $1.00 per day to change their life.  Just visit the Team Gypsy Kids web-site at www.teamgypsykids.org to find out more.

S. Madrigal

January 25, 2011

Seems like just yesterday when we were handing out the awards to the children from last years art contest.

Another year, gone already?  Before you know it, we’ll be hosting our tenth art contest, my kids will want my car keys and I’ll be turning 30! ….o.k. 35, but a girl can dream!

But back to present day (whew!…..I feel better already).  This month Cars 4 Causes® held it’s 5^th Annual Kids Art Contest at the Santa Paula Elementary School District.  Six schools from the district participated and, at the contest awards ceremony last week, one winner was chosen from each grade 1 through 5.

This year, the police chief, fire chief and the former mayor/city council member were the honorable judges and it was no easy task.  I’ve been overseeing this contest for three years now and it seems like each year the submissions keep getting better and better.  This year was, by far, the best work ever; making our judges selections very difficult.

But in the end, it was the Glen City Elementary, 1^st grade; Barbara Webster Elementary, second grade; Blanchard Elementary, 3^rd grade; Glen City Elementary, 4^th grade; and Barbara Webster Elementary 5^th grade, all crowned the winners of this years contest.  READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Each student winner received an art kit.  Each winning students’ classroom was awarded $1,000 from Cars 4 Causes®.  And each winning students’ classroom chose an additional charity to receive $1,000 each.  Those charities chosen by the students were; SPIRIT of Santa Paula – Many Meals Project (chose twice); Assistance League School of Ventura County;  Make-a-Wish Foundation, Tri-Counties; and Locks of Love.

On behalf of Cars 4 Causes^® I would also like to thank the staff and teachers of the Santa Paula School District, as well as the parents of the students for their enthusiasm and support for this project.

Cars 4 Causes® 2011-2012 Sixth Annual Art Contest will take place within the Pleasant Valley School District.  This will include Camarillo Heights Elementary, Dos Caminos Elementary, El Descanso Elementary, La Mariposa Elementary, Las Posas Elementary, Rancho Rosal Elemantary and Tierra Linda Elementary.

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES CARS 4 CAUSES®

Most Money Raised To-Date; C4C Biggest Donor

P. Jessup, January 19. 2011

Everyone loves a party, right?  Especially, when you’re one the guest of honor…the attention, the accolades, the paparazzi…..After all, we do live in California, where “celebrity” is the unofficial state motto! 

But at the end of the day, there are some of us who are content just knowing that what we do helps those less fortunate and changes lives.  I am one of those people who love what we do here at Cars 4 Causes but have never relished the idea of being praised for it.  However, in the course of doing all this good work, it does feel nice to be recognized and appreciated for our efforts.

Last Thursday, Cars 4 Causes was one of three supporters who were honored for their respective contributions to the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk that was held on October 2, 2010.  So, humbly, I showed up to a small gathering in Thousand Oaks, California.  It was a beautiful setting held at the Oak View Retirement Community. The grounds were meticulously manicured, the room was warm and comfortable, the air was casual, the hor d’oeuvres were scrumptious and everyone was in good spirits. 

Cars 4 Causes was recognized for the efforts its volunteer group, Team Cars 4 Causes, contributed to the Memory Walk.  The team showed up to the event with the most team members and brought tremendous visibility to the Walk with over 40 participants, all synchronized in matching Team Cars 4 Causes hats and shirts.  You may recall from a the story posted on our website, that Team Cars 4 Causes raised more than $2,400 for the Alzheimer’s Walk and helped them surpass their fundraising goal of $50,000 for this event.  READ FULL STORY HERE.

On behalf of Cars 4 Causes I was presented with a certificate and beautifully engraved plaque memorializing Cars 4 Causes’ support for the Alzheimer’s Association.  I dedicated the plaque to all of the Team Cars 4 Causes members who showed up and contributed their time and money to make the 2010 Alzheimer’s Walk a success. I can’t help walking away from an event like this and not think to myself, “it sure feels good helping others.”