Betty White’s legacy

One life’s Goodness is pretty tricky to measure. Who we are, unseen and in secret, is complex and sweet. Some of us shine so brightly on the tiny stage of an “ordinary” life. Others have a reach that inspires ten people…or ten thousand…or ten million.

What Betty White would wish to be truly known for will be the stuff of wondering for awhile. Her sparkle and sass are invitation to hope and irreverent joy. We’ll have the happy luck of being influenced by her just as long as we can click a “Watch Now” button on this viewing platform, or that.

We are so excited to share in her vibrant Generosity for a wee while longer! We’re here to come alongside you as you participate in the Betty White Challenge. How? By making it so-very-easy to donate your unused or unwanted vehicle on behalf of the animal cause of your choice! Watch our socials all week long to get a glimpse at the dozens of charities you can aid in honor of Betty.

Serving animal charities for over two decades

Canadians love (love!) their local shelters, humane societies, and SPCAs. We process hundreds of vehicle donations for cats, dogs, rabbits, and birds every year, all year long. In fact, our role in getting your vehicle donation dollars to charity has been a wonderful learning experience for us.

Who knew there were works like the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada and Little OinkBank Pig Sanctuary to give to? Or, have you heard of Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary? Did you know there’s a charity dedicated to Beagles in Newfoundland & Labrador? Beagle Paws is Canada’s largest Beagle Rescue organization. They have chapters in Alberta, Newfoundland, and on Vancouver Island.

The Toronto Humane Society vehicle donors have given$95,000.00 since THS partnered with us.

In 2021, forty-one (41!) car, truck, SUV, van, and motorcycle donors have selected the Winnipeg Humane Society for their gifts.

The BC SPCA and Regina Humane Society have received over $173,000.00 and $17,000.00 respectively from Canadian vehicle donations!

Betty may not have seen this coming?

Betty White may not have envisioned a legacy of car donations in her honor! How delighted we are that her laughing, joyful reach might extend to helping homeless, aging, vulnerable critters in this way.

Your animal care cause will be helped by your unused or unwanted car. We’ll turn your truck, SUV, van, or motorcycle into cash for those critters, too!

Your local shelter does not pay for this service in any way. Your tow will be free, and you’ll receive a tax receipt to claim next year. The donation form usually takes less than 10 minutes. You can do that online, or give us a call (1-877-250-4904). We’re here to serve.

The post Betty White Challenge appeared first on Donate A Car.

This post originally landed back in 2020, but we’re excited to share it again this Christmas!

It started with that ’98 Toyota

When Gillian (not her real name) donated her trusty old Camry through our Donate a Car Canada program she had no idea how far that gift would go.

Choosing the Oakville & Milton Humane Society was easy. Gillian wanted to give to a charity that reflects the love she holds for her own Jack Russell Terrier.

Donate a Car Canada got her set up with her free tow (10 – 20 minutes on the phone did the trick). Moreover, one of our funny and efficient Ontario agents was able to get her Toyota picked up that very day!

This quick, easy interaction is played-out many times each day here. Little did we know, however, that Gillian’s gift was to go beyond the simple removal of a donated vehicle!

About those guinea pig treats?

As is often the case, Gillian and one of our donor support team made a personal connection. Kirsten notes, “She called back yesterday afternoon and asked if I could do her a small favour. Would I send a message to the charity for her? She is hoping that her donation can go towards goodies and treats for all of the animals that the Humane Society is looking after. That way they can all have a lovely Christmas too. In a world of uncertainty, fears, anxieties and stress, there are people like Gillian!”

Now a challenge was upon us. We’re practiced at turning hard-working metal and wheels into actual cash for charities. We weren’t entirely sure we could turn that cash into…treats for dogs? This was new territory!

Kirsten unhesitatingly made that charity call, of course! A chat with our contact at the humane society created joy that would make any Jack Russell Terrier wag a tail. Kirsten went on to report, “They actually get together and celebrate Christmas with the animals every year! Furthermore, they actually buy stockings filled with snacks and special treats every year. Parsley for the Guinea Pigs, special chewy snacks for the dogs, etc. Not only that, they take pictures of it and post them on their Facebook page every year too!!”

Next, the boss got involved…

Getting a vehicle connected with a processing agent happens quickly. For us, the next step is awaiting payment from the agent. Subsequently, we tackle the accounting, and then disburse the gift to the donor’s charity of choice.

This takes time. Our boss, hearing Gillian’s story and her Christmas wish, realized our accounting wouldn’t be complete before Christmas.

She challenged, “Could you phone the charity, tell them the story, tell them that the money from her donation won’t be received until December 31^st, but they have 5 donations being sent to them today, so if they would consider her request for Christmas goodies that would be awesome! ”

Back on the phone to the charity, and, you guessed it: it’s being done! Gillian’s wish to honor her Jack Russell Terrier and the dogs (and other animals) at the shelter is a reality.

Find your holiday joy!

Visit your local SPCA or humane society website and participate in some tail-wagging joy of your own!

Giving to your fellow humans is an option, too! Your car, truck, van, or SUV donation can go to any Canadian charity. You read that right! Every charity in Canada has the option to receive your vehicle donation!

We are a click or a call (1-877-250-4904) away and happy to share in holiday cheer! Every donation counts. Scrap car? No problem! Car with uncertain re-sale value? Our agents have you covered!

The post Christmas Goes to the Dogs in 3 Easy Steps! appeared first on Donate A Car.

Not all heroes fly…

…some roll in to auction on two wheels…and then again on four Mini Cooper wheels! One of our donors is a beautiful reflection of the Goodness that can come from one generous human!

We’ll call our double donor Rachel. As is so often the case with our donors, they are not looking for accolades. They want to remain anonymous. Rachel is just so!

We first met Rachel in March of 2021. Her first donation was a 2004 Aprilia Atlantic scooter. Her donation outcome on this rare little bomb around? $928.25 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation!

Her second donation was to follow just months later. In July of 2021 she opted to part with her 1999 hunter green Rover Mini Cooper. Little did she or the Calgary Humane Society know how big those little Mini bids would go!

Donating a ’99 Mini Cooper| Humane Society for the win!

As with many car donors, Rachel had no idea what to expect when she reached out to us here at Donate a Car Canada. Would the process be simple? It was! Time consuming? Not at all. Could she even donate her scooter? You bet! And what would happen to her fun little Mini? Re-sale through auction all the way!

Both the scooter and the Rover were easily accommodated through our auction process. Rachel was contacted by our tow agent to arrange her free pick-up. The vehicles were then both successfully run through our supporting Calgary auction house. And this during pandemic times!

Auction outcomes are subject to what buyers are willing to offer on sale day. Sale outcomes remain a mystery throughout the process. So, when we learned of the exceptional offer received on this particular ‘Cooper we were over the moon for her charities! And Rachel was too,

“I am STUNNED. Seriously I don’t know what to say!!! I am so thrilled the car sold so well! Honestly I only paid about $9,000 for it many years ago and was kind of crossing my fingers we’d get close to that amount, but I was expecting $5K more realistically. Over 12K is FANTASTIC, I can’t believe it!!! Thank you again for all of your help with this. I know it was a very unusual vehicle to auction and we had no idea how it’d do. So this turned out far, far better than I’d ever even hoped!

I was so happy with how everything turned
out!

I am crossing my fingers that others might be interested in donating in the
future, especially older, weird cars like mine.“

Rachel’s humane society and ACF heartwork

The Calgary Humane Society and the Alberta Cancer Foundation have each been partnered with Donate a Car for over 10 years.

The Alberta Cancer Foundation received their first vehicle donation in 2011. From the beginning, this has been one of our donors’ most beloved causes.

Their work? The ACF raises and receives funds on behalf of 17 treatment centres in Alberta. Funding supports cancer research, patient education and financial assistance programs, equipment and technology acquisition, and cancer care programs.

We have many active donations for them in the works at the time of this writing! Rachel’s $900.00 scooter donation in Spring is a special reflection of a loving community of supporters.

And the Calgary Humane Society has been with us just as long! These animal carers shelter, heal, protect, and place 10,000 animals per year in distress or crisis. Rachel’s extraordinary gift of $12044.75 goes such a long way in this kind of work. And we have a handful of currently active donors who agree — the critters at CHS will receive more donations here in the next few weeks!

Steering you toward sharing the Goodness

Steer your vehicle in the donation direction. Humane society, healthcare cause, children’s charity, or you-name-it-we’ve-got-it Good Work: your car, truck, or van donation will make a difference to the charity you choose. And we are so happy to help!

The post Big Support From Mini Donor appeared first on Donate A Car.

World Snake Day has just passed! People love their cats, dogs, and rabbits. Your local Humane Society supports our often misunderstood slithery friends too.

Though not as cuddly as their furrier buddies, snakes can make amazing pets. Sadly, they are often given to the Humane Society. It can be challenging to provide for their large size, unusual and expensive habitat and dietary needs. Their sometimes-standoffish disposition surprises people, so owners end up less prepared for their care than they thought.

Snakes are a major part of almost every ecosystem on earth. They have enchanted people for centuries, from the snake charmers of India to our living rooms today. They lived alongside dinosaurs 120 million years ago. Furthermore, our modern snake’s ancestors included the amazing Titanoboa, who got up to 50 feet long and weighed up to a ton! Their ability to live in their environments is clearly a perfect model, remaining largely unchanged for over 56 million years.

Despite a reputation for being unsavoury at best, dangerous at worst, snakes are intelligent animals. They can solve simple puzzles. Snakes recognize and find ways to communicate with ‘their’ people and adapt to almost any space. Moreover, they each have remarkably distinct individual personalities.

Looking to support one of our most unusual house companions? Check out your local Humane Society and give a snake a break!

In honour of World Snake Day, support a creature as old as the dinosaurs! Give to a critter as individual as your dog or cat, and as beautiful as any exotic bird or fish. Donate your car, truck, van, SUV, or motorcycle to your local shelter.

Here are just a few to choose from:

Calgary Humane Society
Cochrane Humane Society
Edmonton Humane Society
Toronto Humane Society
Victoria Humane Society
Windsor/Essex County Humane Society

What happens when I donate a car?

The benefit of donating a vehicle is, of course, mostly about the cause you love! But it gives back to you, too: your tow is free. Your tax receipt will come in handy when it’s time to file next year. A win-win — for you and your charity!

Blog contributed by Savannah Kiez/Photo credit Savannah Kiez

Green snake image courtesy of lobster20 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The post World Snake Day | Support for Slithery Friends appeared first on Donate A Car.