Letter to Wheels4Hope from vehicle donor Barney Hale
Vehicle donor, Barney Hale sharing how much this beloved Chevy Malibu meant to his family.
I have donated several cars to different organizations over the years. But, my most positive experience with donating cars has come from Wheels4Hope. Here’s why:
When economically feasible, Wheels4Hope will make the necessary repairs to bring a car to good condition and then repurpose it as a program car for a deserving person in need. This matches my concept of good stewardship of resources and recycling.
If the vehicle is not suitable as a program car, it will be sold with the proceeds being used to buy parts and services for other program cars. Again, a good return on investment of my donation.
The recipient of the car is generally a person that is in the process of re-building their lives and has been referred by another social welfare agency. My donated car was sold to the recipient for $500. This is a reasonable amount and requires the recipient to have some “skin in the game” by having to budget their finances and save enough to make the payment. This results in the donated car being a “hand-up” rather than a “hand-out”. I really support helping people who are trying to help themselves.
Vehicle recipient celebrating having a car of her own with the donor family and Wheels4Hope volunteers.
Other organizations seem to view car donation programs as just another way to generate revenue. With Wheels4Hope, my donated car became an investment in the local community. In addition, I was invited to a “blessing ceremony” where I could meet the recipient and share the story behind the car and what it had meant to my family. Opportunities such as these to build human relationships go a long way to building a stronger society.
Wheels4Hope establishes a value of the donated car (for tax deduction purposes) that accurately reflects the true value of the vehicle. For a car that was in decent condition when donated, this true market value will generally exceed the assigned value of $500 that appears in form letters sent by other organizations.
My next car that becomes a consideration for donation will go to Wheels4Hope.
Barney Hale
Cary, North Carolina
I like that you mention how donating a vehicle can transform someone’s life for the good. My dad has an old car that he doesn’t drive and wants to get rid of it. I’ll be sure to talk to him about doing a “donate my vehicle” and help out someone in need.
Kyle thank you for talking to your dad. Wheels4Hope would welcome the vehicle donation! Each vehicle is assessed to determine how it can best benefit our mission to provide needed transportation for economically vulnerable families and individuals.
Nice post! That is really awesome work you do. Thank you for sharing your work with us. It’s really inspiring and appreciable work for people like us. Keep it up!
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