Are car donations worthwhile?
Car Donation Charity Stories Page 1
Since the inception of the online car donation charities in
thelate 1990's there has been a lot of controversy and
questions about their validity. In the past few years the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) has sanctioned car donation charities officially provided they follow the IRS guide lines which can be found in IRS Publications 4303 and 4302.Let's take a look at a couple things: car donations have reduced the amount certain tax payers have had to pay which gives people more money to be able to purchase services and goods that they need. Often overlooked, but a very valuable aspect of car donations, is cleaning up the environment. Many vehicles have been sitting around for months or years as an eyesore and with the car donation program these vehicles are easily removed and re-sold to mechanics and car dealers who can actually fix these things up and get them back on the road instead of sitting and rusting.
But besides the above let's look at a few examples of how an old un-used car can turn into something that can really help our children.
Check out these stories:
From a Chief of Detectives in Illinois: Your letter concerning the "Teddy Bear" program has been referred to me by our Superintendent for a response. First of all thank you very much for the teddy bears.The teddy bears will be personally directed by me, to various victims or otherwise traumatized children, and delivered by an Officer.
Today, the first bear is being delivered to a two-year-old child who was brutally sexually assaulted by an adult visiting her household. The adult then placed the child's hands into scalding water. The damage to the hands was described by a witness, to the media, as "melted off".
While anything we do will not compensate for the horror that this little girl has suffered, perhaps your "bear" will make her day just a little better.
Given the volume of children that we encounter for a myriad of reasons, these "teddy bears" will go a long way to brighten their day. I can handle any volume of "teddy bears" that you can supply. Rest assured that they will be distributed in a way that coincides with both the intent and spirit of your program.
Thank you for your fine work. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Or consider a much less traumatic, but nevertheless disturbing situation from a Chief of Police who wrote to ask for more bears: Numerous officers have stories about how they were able to utilize these gifts to "light up" the eyes of a child and brighten their day, often in situations where the circumstances were less than desirable. On one such occasion a Motorcycle Officer was issuing a citation to a motorist, when the motorist began to yell and scream at the officer.
The officer noticed that the parent's actions were upsetting a small child in the vehicle. As the child began to cry, the officer reached into his saddlebag, removed a small stuffed toy and gave it to the child, telling her, "everything will be okay sweetheart." With that, the child began to smile, and the parent stopped her verbal attack on the officer and suddenly apologized.
Not only did this small gesture turn a bad situation into a pleasant one for the officer, but also there is little doubt that both the parent and child went away with a positive feeling about the encounter.
From a Chief, Fire and Rescue: I want to thank you and your group for the donation of the Teddy Bears for use on our Rescue Unit. We have provided stuffed animals to many children over the years and never seem to have enough. It is amazing how much comfort and reassurance the Teddy Bears provide, under some of the most stressful situations. The relief and the smiles that come from a child getting something so fuzzy and friendly are just unbelievable. Its great when we can show a child with a gift of a bear that we care. It seems to make it that much easier to do the job we have to do with a lot less stress.
In the future, if we should need more Bears, we would be honored to have them come from you.
Again, thank you very much for the gift of the Teddy Bears, they have been and will be a great help in the treatment of any children that should require our service.
From another Chief of Police: While most of our bears are given away at fire scenes, car crashes, and other unanticipated tragedies, we have one program in place that is an annually scheduled event. Each Christmas morning, the commander and several police officers of our Community Services Division deliver teddy bears to several local battered women's shelters, the Children's Hospital, and other nursing homes and hospices. All too often the teddy bears have been the only gifts these individuals had received during the holidays, and all too often they have been the only source of comfort and hope for them, as well. The contribution made by your organization will help our officers continue to provide this service to our citizens.
Actual Letters from Police, Ambulance and Fire Officials.
Fill out the Online Car Donation Form and that will begin the process.
