You've probably seen ads that encourage you to donate an old car to a charity, or maybe your favorite charity has sent you literature that asks you to consider donating a car to them for fundraising purposes. While donating a car is a great way to get it out of your yard and raise money for the charity at the same time, these donated vehicles are usually sold for scrap or at auction. However, there is a way for your donation to have a greater impact on people's lives. Here are three meaningful ways that donating your old car to a trade school for students to work on and learn from can help people and have a real, positive effect on their lives.
It can help struggling students.
For some students, taking auto shop or auto tech classes is a brand new experience and a welcome relief from traditional high school or college academics. Working on a car can open up a new world of possibilities. It can help them enjoy school, get them enthused about learning and make them more likely to graduate. Trade schools can't always afford to buy a steady supply of cars to work on and rely on charitable donations. Your car might make the difference between a student just coasting through school, and actually experiencing the joy of learning by fixing something successfully for the first time.
It can set a student on a career path.
Auto technology is a valuable, real-world skill. Working on a variety of cars and doing a myriad of repairs is important experience that will serve them well when they apply for jobs. It can qualify them for jobs with auto manufacturers, auto dealers, repair shops and collision shops. The electrical problems that plagued your car and frustrated you might be fascinating to a student who later decides to specialize in auto electronics. Your dangling muffler might inspire a student to bend pipes, build custom exhaust systems and open their own shop someday.
It can help the less fortunate.
Many trade schools repair and refurbish cars in class and donate them to people in need. They often partner with organizations who work to get people off of public assistance by providing them with vehicles so they can get to work. For example, many jobs require that applicants have their own reliable transportation, and the lack of a car is a barrier to employment. Providing them with a car removes this barrier. Sometimes refurbished cars are donated to families who have experienced hardships such as an extended illness. They may need a car for transportation to treatments, but have lost their main source of income because the breadwinner is ill. Your vehicle can help them get to lifesaving treatments or enable family members to accompany the patient.
Whether your car has quit running, is falling apart or simply rusted out, an automotive trade school can use it to teach students how to do these repairs. Rather than trade it in where it will simply be sold for scrap, or scrapping it yourself for a few dollars, consider donating it to a trade school instead. You'll get a receipt for its value so you can take the charitable deduction. But more importantly, you'll have the opportunity to change multiple lives for the better. For more information, contact the Newgate School.
Share20 January 2016
Hi. This is Amber, and I am here to tell you all about trade schools and the possibilities they offer. A trade school can be an amazing boost into an exciting and rewarding career. You might be surprised to learn about the skills you can aquire by attending a trade school. My blog will go through the possibilities and explain what the training for each job involves as well as what being on the job in each trade will mean to you. Find out how you can use trade school to get control of your future and start the career you want.