The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

This year’s annual Ventura Education Partnership SummerFest brought an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 people together for a day dedicated to our kids’ education. And we were there.

The day started off with a 5K run/walk, and ended with all of us tired, a little sunburned, and a lot happy at what we accomplished. In case you weren’t there, the VEP SummerFest is a day-long event of fun, music, healthy foods and physical fitness events. This year, there was a climbing wall, hula hoops, a drum circle, great music, a booth dedicated to birds and another to reptiles. (Just from that, you can see how much fun this was for kids!)

Cars 4 Causes gave away tote bags and flyers and got the word out about Save Our Schools, a section of Cars 4 Causes, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, we created to make it easy to donate a car and dedicate the proceeds to the California school of your choice  — our effort to help get arts and music back into the schools.

Cars 4 Causes Ventura Education Partnership SummerFest booth got the word out on the Save Our Schools program.

Our Surprise Speaker

We had a wonderful spokesperson on our SummerFest team, someone who experiences the lack of music and art classes first-hand and is not too shy to talk about it: nine-year-old Becky (see her sitting in the photo here, taken at an uncharacteristically quiet moment).

Becky thrilled us with her enthusiasm, surprised those who stopped at the booth with her articulation of the issue, and humbled us all with her dedication. She was non-stop, and she made a difference.

We’re doing everything we can to live up to Becky’s expectations. We’ve made it easy to donate to Ventura County schools through Save Our Schools, and we’re spreading the word. Our message: Donate a car so your children can experience what you had as a child, music and art in the classroom.

When the State of California recently cut $11.6 billion out of the public education budget, the losers were our young students. Art, music, physical education – all the “extras” — face a high probability of getting cut. What a loss this is!

What can a parent to do to help? We’ve identified a few ways:

• Volunteer for your child’s classroom
• Volunteer for your school PTA
• Donate money to your child’s school

• And we’re adding another: Donate car to your California school of choice.

Donating Cars to Schools of Your Choice

We’ve set up a Save Our Schools section of Cars 4 Causes, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization, to make it easy for you to donate a car and dedicate the proceeds to the California school of your choice. You’ll receive the same tax benefits as with any car donation, and you’ll be helping your child’s school.

Why We Care

The problem with cutting the arts and physical education programs, as we see it, is

Children learn teamwork and discover new horizons in their arts programs.

that these programs enrich the lives of our children. Gym classes teach team skills (a great predictor of success in corporate life!), and art and music programs broaden our children’s views of life’s possibilities. Who knows what talents our kids will discover within themselves, given the opportunity?

We care about kids and education; in fact, our concerns about education were the reason we originally launched Cars 4 Causes. Now, Cars 4 Causes is the most highly respected  car donation program in the nation, and we think we can lend a hand to help our schools through tough times.

Check out our Save Our Schools section on the Cars 4 Causes Website. Our kids need our help.

This year’s Annual Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest (our 3rd) warmed our hearts and opened our minds again. Take a look at these thoughtful posters. The children were asked to draw a picture of Your Favorite Way to Help Others.

1st through 3rd grade winners of Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest

Notice one thing they all have in common? We think there’s something there, and we’re calling it: helping in any way you can. First-grader Maria helps by giving toys and food to others and by visiting friends in the hospital. Third-grader Ketsie helped with a car wash; that was her favorite.

Each poster tells a story, and we’ll let you enjoy ‘reading’ the children’s stories and messages in their art. They’re all here.

4th and 5th grade winners of Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest

At Cars 4 Causes, we rediscover every day that charity and the desire to help others is an all-embracing human quality. We see it in the children’s art, and we see it in adults who donate cars to charity.

While it’s true that we adults get a tax deduction with our car donation, we also help the charity of our choice, and that’s the real driving force behind the desire to donate a vehicle – helping others. I guess we know that; the kids just remind us when we give them a chance.

The Prizes

Each of the children who won at their grade level received an art kit; their school received $1,000; and that student’s class was able to designate $1,000 to any non-profit organization of their choice. [You can see more on eligibility and participation in the Annual Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest in our May blog.]

Could you draw a picture of Your Favorite Way of Helping Others?

Kids can, and we’re asking elementary kids (grades one through five) to do just that for our Third Annual Kids Art Contest. You can be sure they’ll come up with some creative pictures. They always do. (Click here to see previous year’s winning pictures.)

Third grade winner of the Cars 4 Causes Kids Art Contest from last year - 2008

This being our third annual contest, we’ve learned that we can count on kids to show us the central value of donating to charities we care about, whether that contribution is time or money or a car donation.

Eligible Young Artists

Eligible for this year’s contest are selected schools in the North Oxnard School District, Oxnard, Calif. (all schools north of 5th Street). There will be five winners, one from every grade level. The prizes are generous: each will receive an art kit; their school will receive $1,000; and that student’s class will be able to designate $1,000 to any non-profit organization of their choice.

In case you’re wondering who’s going to pick the winners, our panel of judges this year comes from the City of Oxnard: Mayor Tom Holden, Fire Chief Joe Milligan, and Police Chief John Crombach.

Check back soon. We’ll announce the young winners and give you a peek at their winning art as well. Learn how to donate car today!