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Disability Credit Canada needs our help. "...This year we received an unprecedented number of scholarship applications (COVID-19 effect?). We know there are thousands of young disabled Canadians who have similar aspirations. They are struggling to make ends meet." Is this a cause you can get behind? Read on for Preston's Story!
Continue reading "Disability Credit Canada" →Blog
Buick Riviera
Smart technology in a 1986 Buick Riviera? We were as surprised as you are!
Continue reading "Buick Riviera" →Wildlife Sanctuary
Animal charities have heart
Offering our wildlife sanctuary is a core Canadian value. Of our nearing 1,000 Canadian charities, dozens are animal care organizations. Donate a Car Canada donors often put their donation dollars toward these causes.
Continue reading "Wildlife Sanctuary" →Epilepsy Canada
We've extended Betsy's legacy on behalf of Epilepsy Canada this month!
Who is Betsy? She's a trusty 2004 Mercedes C240. Our donors rolled into the program mid-August, ready to part ways with their sturdy car.
Continue reading "Epilepsy Canada" →VW Beetle | Punch Buggy…Purple?
The VW Beetle offered its final edition in 2019. Punch buggy aficionados find unique ways to honor this beloved icon. One of our previous donors, C. McDonald of Calgary, Alberta, put a little extra into his current car, a 1.6 Turbo, 2017 slug bug.
Transformation
Mr. McDonald's original purchase was a forest green -- interior and exterior. His first addition to the car (his second VW Beetle) was two 12" subwoofers. Soon to follow: 18" gold rims.
He quickly began dreaming up a paint job for his prized find. The paint job plans soon morphed into saving up for a vinyl wrap -- front to back!
Out of this world
Considering many options (including a galaxy-spangled frunk -- you know: the front-trunk), the owner settled on a
3m gloss deep space purple and hexis gloss and super chrome gold highlights. The gold highlights to some interior surfaces complement the earlier addition of the rims.
This wrap has a surreal effect! Is the car blue? Purple? Bronze? Copper? Green? Depending on the position of the sun, the quality of light, and your perspective, the color changes continuously.
Running with the big boys
This work of art was no small effort. Riley, of ZR Auto in Calgary, Alberta took personal pride in the work and attention to detailed quality. Accustomed to working on high-end vehicles, Riley worked his skills to beautiful effect. The result? Mr. McDonald's punch buggy is a crowd stopper. It's not unusual for this VW Beetle to stop passersby mid-step. Smart phones at the ready, its a sure thing that there are a lot of pics of this shifty little slug bug all over cyberspace.
If you're in the Calgary area and looking for a unique addition to your ongoing game of Punch Buggy!, keep your eyes wide open for this 2017 purple...no, blue...make that copper VW Beetle!
Should I Send my Kids Back to School?
Did you ever imagine you’d find yourself contemplating home schooling your kiddos? With only 1 – 2% of North American children home schooled in the BeforeTimes, this option may not have been high on your priority list.
And here we are. 2020 and in the midst of a pandemic. “Do I send my child back to school?” has become the most pressing decision of the summer.
Confusion, overwhelm, outright fear
What arises in you when you face into this question with your family?
And do you have a process for discerning a way forward when emotions are high, information is confusing and even conflicting, and all you really wish for is a set routine? Something that feels normal. Familiar. Do you find that your thoughts run away with the what-if-s and how-to-s and I-can't-even-s of the thing?
You're not alone
You've read all of the information. You understand your options clearly. What now? Are you connecting with other parents? Are your children old enough to participate in this conversation? What is your own gut telling you (she probably knows what you need!)?
Some helps for making the choice
If you need some internal back-up from your own best teacher -- your self -- this may help:
- Spend a day holding only the "Yes, I'm going to send my child back to school," in your mind. Go about the day as if that is your decision. Notice: what happens in you when you stay with that answer. Do the same for the "No way! My kid is doing school at home." Notice, notice, notice. What does this choice feel like?
- Take a day off from social media. Give your heart and mind permission to step back from the steady stream of importantinformation! and advice. Spend this one day listening only to your own inner voice, attending to your own interior life.
- Ask your Self, "What do I need right now?" In a quiet moment, maybe with your hand resting on your heart, ask, "What does my son/daughter need?"
Your kiddo is going to be ok
Most importantly, remind yourself often that a year of disrupted schooling is not going to make or break your child's education.
I recall a time in the parenting and schooling of my own three sons where I was gripped by anxiety. Overwhelm. Uncertainty for the future. It was an important time of reflection: I was able to ask myself the question,
What really matters in my sons' education? What will matter in one year? 5 years? In their adulthood? I was surprised to notice that the thing that surfaced as "most important" was not a university degree. Rather, I wondered if I was doing all I could to nurture boys into men who would be capable, helpful, content, hard workers, good humans. The kind of men who could navigate something as crazily disruptive as a global pandemic.
Schooling was disrupted in our lives for a bit back then. They're all in their twenties, now, and (having achieved different levels of school along the way...via many non-traditional and traditional paths) they're solid humans. Capable. Helpful and hard working and funny. The kind of men who handle global pandemics with presence of mind.
No right way - wrong way
What if there's no wrong way to educate your children during the pandemic? Could it be that the answer to, "Should I send my kids back to school?" is...go for it! Or, don't. Whatever you decide, don't make yourself wrong. You're doing the best you can and they're going to be just fine.
Full-size Cars
I was born in 1970, a year when the North American love affair with full-size cars (read, BIG cars) was in full swing.
My earliest memory of a family car is a 70's model Pontiac Catalina. Four doors. Forest green. Seats as rough as sandpaper, and an eight-track cassette player the churned out the Oakridge Boys for days.
Barbies, singalongs, & the open road
The interior of that Pontiac was astonishing. My little sister and I had the run of the place -- pre-seatbelt era. We stuffed that mother ship of full-size cars to the roof with our barbies and books. We hunkered into the sunburnt back seat and sang our little lungs out, Dad harmonizing all along, on the long treks to and from Grandma's farm.
That behemoth journeyed us across provinces and down the way to Sunday school. Countless memories were made as we squabbled and star-gazed and explored in the safety of the Catalina.
Big cars | A thing of the past?
The march of time and progress have had their effect on our relationship with big cars. Today's full-size cars are feather-light by comparison. A car like the Catalina weighed-in closer to the size of our current mid-size SUVs (at a healthy 4000+ lbs). That said, the Dodge Charger (our best option in full-size sedans, according to CarGurus.com) weighs in with a curb weight of 4500+ lbs.
Length, height, and cargo space -- not to mention our always evolving relationship with aesthetics -- have shifted dramatically over time. Moreover, drivability and safety are deal breakers for today's buyer.
Ready to move on
If you've been nostalgically holding on to your 70's, 80's, 90's full-size car, consider extending its service in a different way? What if that non-drivable old vehicle could be transformed into donation dollars? Through our program, you can choose your charity and get that car off the back parking pad for free. Keep the steering wheel, or a chip of paint. Remove a mirror or memorialize it with a hubcap. A tiny bit of insignia is so much cheaper and easier to tend than that big ol' pile of metal. And the pile of metal can do good work on behalf of someone, or something, who needs it!
Nova Scotia Car Donors
Nova Scotia car donors are all part of the heart work here at Donate a Car Canada.
Most of the vehicles we process in the Maritimes are recycle-ready. And there are times when we are able to re-sell a vehicle for a higher donation return. Whatever the process, donors and charities alike are well served.
Quadruple car donor!
It is our privilege to work alongside donors who have more than one vehicle to donate. Sometimes Canadians submit more than one vehicle at the same time. Additionally, donors may come back to us year after year. And sometimes, we see the same giver roll through the program with several years in between.
One of our Nova Scotia car donors lands in more than one of those categories!
'Back in 2014, our guy came to the program with three vehicles at once! Not only did he submit 3 different cars, he gifted 3 unique charities:
Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia ,
Alice House , and the
Arthritis Research Foundation .
Two of his vehicles (a tired ol' Pontiac Grand Am, and a worn out Toyota Sienna) were ready for recycling. While his '08 Uplander looked scrap-ready on paper, our agent was able to turn it over for higher-than-going-rate!
Which brings us to July 2020
Just this past month, this same Maritimer gifted Alice House another vehicle! This time his trusty Mini Cooper brought in a donation of a $200.00 for the charity.
Nova Scotia car donors have options when it comes to giving away their vehicles. What a joy it is to serve generous Canadians such as this, time after time!
If you have a vehicle to donate (or two...or more!), we're here to help:
Beagle Paws
Beagle Paws, one of our receiving animal causes, has faithful support!
We had the happy privilege of working alongside one of their donors -- twice!
In 2016, Beagle Paws received a donation of $657.00 for a Ford Focus that we thought was surely recycle-ready. Our cooperating auction house thought differently. The auction house buyers thought more of the car, too. With a little haggling and finagling, the donor's charity of choice was set.
Fast forward to the summer of 2020
It is a no surprise to us here at Donate a Car Canada -- Canadian donors treat car donations a bit like tattoos: once you've given once, you'll want to donate again! As a business that's been around for a long time, we're thrilled to work alongside donors like this every few years.
Our Ford donor of the Spring of 2016 donated again in the summer of 2020. His chosen cause? Beagle Paws. Again! His second gift to them through our program was a 2008 Chrysler 300.
As is so often the way with our multi-donation givers, this donor doesn't make a peep about his efforts. As with his donated Focus, our guy submitted his donation form online. Without any acknowledgment of his extraordinary generosity, he simply gave a second car away.
Bigger outcome? Smaller?
Before we say more about how Beagle Paws will benefit from this donation outcome, let's say just a bit about who they are. Why might our donor care so much for this particular organization? Not surprisingly, they're all about one breed: Beagles!
"When you adopt from Beagle Paws Rescue you’ll quickly realize you’re the one who has been saved. This mischievous breed, known for curious noses and eternal puppy-dog eyes, are loyal, steadfast companions. As a rescue organization, we strive to find the perfect dog for your family and to ensure this affectionate, but often neglected, breed is protected and loved.
Once known as a hunting breed or outdoor dog, these clever pets are too often mistreated, abandoned, or left to live outside on a chain or in enclosed pens with no human interaction or compassion. Beagle Paws Rescue was established in 2003 to bring the breed indoors and has become the country’s largest beagle rescue group. Since then we’ve become Canada's largest beagle rescue group. We've rescued and rehomed thousands of dogs throughout Canada and established chapters and connections in every province - but there’s still much work to be done." (Beagle Paws, "About" page)
When an old car goes to the dogs
Thanks to this two-time donor, this hard working charity is going to see a sturdy donation outcome this month end. In fact, he's in line for a a mitt full of the beautiful key chains Beagle Paws is offering their $25.00 donors!
Donate a Car Canada will be disbursing close to $2000.00 in the donor's name this go 'round!
Does this inspire you to give vehicle donation a try? Connect with us! We're at the ready to get your donation dollars into the hands of the cause you love.
Autism Calgary Association
Autism Calgary Association has a Donate a Car Canada gift! Our donors have richly personal reasons for selecting a receiving charity. Health-related organizations hit the top of the list. The choice may be all about the care of the planet, or of animals. Morever, charities are picked for sentimental reasons.
The owners of a recycle-ready 2007 Dodge Caravan chose Autism Calgary Association for heartfelt reasons.
Donating Zoomy
Our donors noted,
"This vehicle has enormous sentimental value to our son, who has autism. He has named the Van Zoomy. Zoomy was last driven 6 years ago and needed major work at that time,We have held onto Zoomy until our son was ready to let go. He's ready and has chosen to donate Zoomy to Autism Calgary."
These kinds of stories are exactly why Donate a Car Canada does what we do! Not only do our donor matter, their vehicle matters. And the charity of choice is vital to the giver.
Zoomy makes a difference
For charities like Autism Calgary Association, a donation like this is critical to their ongoing work. Furthermore, the beauty of a gift like this is that it allows the giver to feel sure their beloved vehicle is more than just scrap metal. Zoomys, all across Canada, continue to serve by turning wheels and metal into much-needed dollars.
Consider the causes that are meaningful to you. You've likely experienced, for yourself, the value of every donation dollar. Hearts and minds are impacted. In addition, the machine of the operations is kept up and running.
ACA Star Stories | YouTube
Visit the Autism Calgary Association YouTube channel for challenge and inspiration.
Have a Zoomy of your own to share?
Not all cars and trucks have sentimental value to us. Frankly, sometimes we just want the ol' scrap metal hauled out of the back yard! In extreme cases, we don't even care what happens to what feels like a heap of junk. But sometimes we do care. A lot. We care because the car was the last vehicle that our aging loved one used before they gave up driving. Or, it may be the last car we're going to use before we surrender that freedom for ourselves. Equally common, the car or truck may be our learner vehicle -- or the one we used to teach our kids to drive. Whatever your story (or lack of story!), we're here to help you turn your donation ready unit into monies for the cause you love.
