Norwell: Everyone's revved up about this car donation

Norwell —

Dawn Kennedy-Grady wanted a better life. 

A single mother of three, she recently moved from what she called a bad neighborhood in Stoughton to a better one in Rockland.  Her older two children were adjusting well to their new school in Rockland, and her young son was happily enrolled at Younger University, a childcare center in Norwell.

Then Dawn's car broke down, and she couldn't get to work.  She ultimately lost her job because of the lack of transportation.

Seeing Kennedy-Grady's struggle to continue to bring her son to the center, having to walk nearly four miles each way to do so, prompted Younger University owner Geri Dann and director Jacquie Ranahan into action.

Dann made a call to an auto dealer in Sharon that she had done business with in the past, Philip Ibrahim, who owns Imotobank.com.

"Philip has been very good to me and I have referred a lot of people to him," Dann said.  "So I called and said if I am out of line please let me know.  But it doesn't hurt to ask."

Dann explained Kennedy-Grady's situation to him, and Ibrahim said he would see what he could do.

"That was Friday," Dann said.  "The following Monday (Dec. 13), he told me the car would be delivered on Tuesday and that it was his donation."

When she learned the news, Kennedy-Grady said her initial reaction was 'how much do I have to pay for it?'

When she found out it was a gift, she said she could not believe it.

"I am super psyched," she said.  "I am so happy, you have no idea."

She said her new car — a 2001 red Chevy Cavalier — is awesome.

"It's so clean and has brand new tires," she said.  "The heat works awesome.  And it's good on gas."

She said her older children couldn't believe it when she pulled up in the car to pick them up at school.

"Usually I have to walk to the school to get them and we all walk back," she said.

Ranahan said other parents at the center have donated some money to cover the costs of insuring the vehicle and getting it registered.

She said the staff at Younger University really wanted to help.

Kennedy-Grady said life without a car was difficult.

"Nobody would even give me a ride to the grocery store, so I ended up having to walk to Tedeschi's, which is more expensive. A woman who I used to do a lot for would charge me $10 every time she'd take me someplace.  It wasn't worth it."

She said she tried to keep the kids' routine as normal as possible.  Because her son had enjoyed going to Younger University, Kennedy-Grady kept him enrolled.

"He really likes it there," she said.  "He enjoys playing with the other kids.  It's the best daycare I've ever had."

But keeping him at Younger, and not having any transportation, meant that Kennedy-Grady had to walk nearly four miles each way just to get to the center.

"It was cold," she said, adding that she would bundle her son up and push him along in a stroller.

She said parts of the route didn't have a sidewalk and cars would speed past her.

"It could be a tough walk, but it meant so much to him to be able to go to the center," she said.

Staff members at Younger University noticed Kennedy-Grady walking her son to school and asked her what was going on.

Ranahan gave Kennedy-Grady a ride home one morning, and later in the day, when she walked back to the school to pick up her son, Dann drove them both home.

Ranahan said everyone at the center was so excited upon learning of such a generous donation and that Kennedy-Grady would be getting the car.

"One of my teachers said 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' and some of us had tears in our eyes," she said.

 "When you see a parent trying so hard to do the best for her child despite very difficult circumstances, your heart breaks for them and you have to do whatever you can to help," she said. 

Both Ranahan and Dann said they were moved when Kennedy-Grady, discussing her situation, told them her family didn't need much because they had food on the table, clean clothes and a roof over their heads and that her children understand this is just how they live but that they love each other and are happy.

Ranahan said Younger University prides itself on being a childcare program different from any other on the South Shore, and that their approach to teachingthe whole child transcends to caring for the whole family.

Kennedy-Grady said she still couldn't believe the generosity of the center and what they did for her.

"Everyone there has just been so helpful," she said.  "I can't thank them enough.  This has made such a difference for me and my kids."

Time is Running Out for 2010 Car Donation Tax Deduction

Donating a car to charity is a great way to get a tax deduction, but
the car donation must be completed by December 31 to claim tax relief
on 2010 IRS returns. The Vehicle Donation Processing Center stands
ready to process vehicle donations during the last days of this month,
but "there's no point in waiting until the last minute," says Harvard
E. "Pete" Palmer, Jr., of the Center.
"The process of donating a car couldn't be faster or easier," says
Palmer, and it won't interfere with holiday plans or celebrations. One
phone call (800 269 6814) or online car donation today puts the donor
on the road to a lower tax bill next April. The Vehicle Donation
Processing Center takes care of everything else; all the taxpayer has
to do is keep the receipt provided and claim the deduction on his 1040
form. Agents will be standing by to accept donations from now until
the end of the year.
It's not only the taxpayer who benefits from a vehicle donation. The
donor designates one of 400 charities to receive the net proceeds from
sale of the donated car. Vehicle donations can benefit almost every
category of charity imaginable, including those that help animals, the
arts, children, education, the environment, disease research, human
rights, faith-based and family services, and seniors. That's cold,
hard cash the charity would otherwise not have in these difficult
economic times. Since its founding in 1996, the Center has processed
over 800,000 donations, resulting in more than $60 million in net
receipts to charities. That represents a great deal of charitable good
works.
What happens to the car once it's in the hands of the Center? It is
usually sold at auction to the highest bidder, with the net proceeds
handed over to the charitable organization, although sometimes the
charity itself uses it for its own activities.
Neither the donor nor the charity gets stuck with the paperwork
required for a vehicle donation. The Vehicle Donation Processing
Center does it all. "We handle the DMV documents, smog requirements,
and tax receipt," says Palmer. The receipt provides all the
information needed for the donor's tax deduction: donor's name,
charity's name and 501(c)(3) registration number, date of donation,
and a statement noting the exact value of any benefit, if any, the
donor received in return. For example, the Vehicle Donation Processing
Center offers a free vacation voucher with every donation.
Even clunkers and nonstarters are welcome. In fact, sixty percent of
the cars donated do not run, says Palmer. The Center will tow the car
from its current location using a qualified, highly insured transport
company. Vehicles other than cars also qualify for donation and tax
deduction through the Center. RVs, boats, SUVs, trucks, and even
airplanes can be donated to charity.
Charitable vehicle donations have not always been deductible.
Then-President Reagan signed the vehicle donation law in 1986 in order
to help nonprofits expand their funding. The Vehicle Donation
Processing Center was founded after that legislation went into effect
to make the process simple and painless for both donors and charities.
Before agencies like the Center came on the scene, charities struggled
to process vehicle donations individually. However, they were
inexperienced and inefficient at arranging pick-up, completing
paperwork, and converting the cars to cash. The Vehicle Donation
Processing Center took the burden off the charities' shoulders,
leaving them free to focus on fundraising efforts with which they were
more familiar.
There are many end-of-year tax issues to consider, but donating a car
through the Vehicle Donation Processing Center is a no-brainer. It is
quick and hassle-free. There are, however, only a few days left before
December 31 if taxpayers wish to claim their deduction for the 2010
tax year.
Potential donors do need to do one thing: make the call to donate a
car The Vehicle Donation Processing Center will do the rest

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/10/12/p721189/time-is-running-out-for-2010-car-donation-tax-deduction#ixzz192hAfle4

Police donating cars to 3 departments

In a time of tight budgets and worn-out fleets, the Sioux Falls Police Department will be donating three used patrol cars to small law enforcement agencies in need.

Sioux Falls City Councilors approved the donation last week. Law enforcement agencies in Faith, Freeman and Roberts County each will receive a car Oct. 4.

The gift is perfect timing, Freeman Police Chief Doris Higgins said.

"I tell you what, it's wonderful, especially when budgets are tight," she said.

Freeman's main police car is showing its age. The 1999 Ford Crown Victoria has 136,000 miles and an addiction to oil, Higgins said. It drinks a quart every other week, and there's a case of oil in the trunk just in case.

With a tight budget, Freeman had no options to replace the car that's on duty every day.

"We would probably be driving this one till it absolutely, absolutely died," Higgins said.

Sioux Falls first started the program in 2004. Since then, 16 patrol cars have been donated. The department typically keeps a patrol car about four years before it's replaced, typically picking up more than 100,000 miles in that time.

"Most of our cars are going 24 hours a day. The repair and maintenance just isn't worth it," Chief Doug Barthel said.

The department replaces about 15 patrol cars a year. Most of the old cars are auctioned and about three a year are donated.

While the city could get a couple of thousand dollars for the donated cars at auction, the gift is more valuable to smaller agencies that shop in Sioux Falls and help out the police department, Barthel said.

Before the Eagle Butte Police Department received a Sioux Fall patrol car in 2008, it didn't have enough cars for patrol officers.

"I was short on vehicles bad," Police Chief Norman Schuler said.

The 2008 donation remains in use and has been able to keep officers on the street, Schuler said.

"It's an excellent program. We really appreciated the car," he said.

Contact Megan Luther at 331-231

Highlands Motoring Festival seeks car donations for auction

Al Scudder, of Scudder's Galleries will be auctioning off donated vehicles at 3:30 p.m. at the Highlands Motoring Festival. Both the Rotary Club of Highlands and the Highlands Motoring Festival are 501c3 charitable organizations; donations are tax deductible.

Festival admission is free and there will be hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages for purchase. Enjoy the festival as you view classic cars, muscle cars, hot rods and special interest cars.