Good News Garage puts clients in driver seat
by Meg Fraser

Last Tuesday afternoon, Hal Colston appeared on the Oprah Show to promote the Good News Garage, a program he founded in 1996 that puts income-eligible people behind the wheel of reliable, donated vehicles. That same day, the program’s Rhode Island chapter announced they were ready to sell their first car.

“Our mission is to help people get their life back together,” said Reverend Dana Karen Reardon from St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Warwick, where the state’s program is based.

Reardon first heard about the program about six years ago but was unable to get the movement off the ground in the Ocean State. However, with the help of the Connecticut branch, active volunteers like Fred Frostic and Rick Keller from the John Hope Settlement House, and Colston’s vision as their inspiration, Rhode Island is taking off.

“In Rhode Island, there are a lot of areas where it’s tough to get around without a car. This will give people a good start,” Reardon said.

When donors call for a car pickup, one of two things can happen; either the cars are evaluated and deemed usable for the program or they are sold at auction and the proceeds go toward fixing up other cars.

“About every third or fourth car is a good program car,” Reardon said, explaining that it’s quality –not quantity –they’re looking for. “We want everything to be usable for at least a year.”

When a donated car is used to directly benefit a client, the donor is able to take the fair market value of that car as their tax deduction, unlike similar programs, although Reardon said that is not generally the motivation.

The Good News Garage got some more good news last week when NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick surprised Colston with 10 brand new cars to add to the collection. While it is yet unclear whether Rhode Island will receive one of the donated vehicles, volunteers are glad to see the program receiving national attention.

“We’re just kind of starting to build momentum here in Rhode Island,” said volunteer Fred Frostic. “We’d really like it to be one of those things that just grows and grows and grows.”

Frostic has only been in Rhode Island for 18 months but when he approached his pastor about a project, the Good News Garage sounded right up his alley.

“I like to keep involved and help people. It’s a very cool thing,” he said.

The program is in need of more volunteers like Frostic and Reardon advised them, Lutheran or not, to contact the church in order to find out more.

“There’s all different ways people can fit in,” she said.

The Good News Garage is supported by Lutheran Social Services and every Lutheran church in the state has committed to do a fundraiser for the program. Reardon says that is just the beginning, though.

“We need to expand beyond Lutherans,” she said.

For the time being, Lutheran church officials are leading the way and also serve on a screening committee along with various state social workers. Reardon said she has received more than 100 phone calls inquiring about the cars, but there are specific requirements applicants must meet. Not only does the process discuss the applicant’s finances, but it also requires him or her to have a job or the promise of one. While the program builds momentum, clients must still pay for the cars, just at a highly discounted price.

“It’s a jumpstart program. There will be some minimum cost to the client,” Reardon said. “We sit down and look through budgets with them.”

Fortunately, costs to run the program have been minimal thanks to the generosity of the mechanics used to fix the cars.

“We contract with local mechanics and because we have several weeks we contract at a cut rate,” Reardon said. “As it expands it helps some of the small garages to stay afloat.”

Looking to the future, Reardon and her team hope this is just the beginning for Good News Garage. She believes putting the keys in a worthy person’s hand can change their life for the better –now more than ever.

“Times will change, recessions come and go, but when the jobs are there, they’re going to need a way to get to them,” she said.

For more information about volunteering with the Good News Garage, call 737-6758. For more information about the program, go to www.goodnewsgarage.com or to donate a car, call 877-GIVE-AUTO.