Get The Most Advantages From Your Car Donations To Charity Many people have been donating vehicles that help their communities by providing cars, RVs, boats, motorcycles and other means of transportation to local charities. These donations help all parties involved, the person who wants to help their local communities, and the charitable organizations that are receiving the vehicles. There are quite a few reasons for making car donations to charity, including the undeniable tax benefits that can be given from the large deductions you may be able to take. Be careful however, the IRS has taken a dim view of some of the questionable valuations people make when appraising the value of their donations. Rather than needing to clamp down on everyone and pay for more enforcement and auditing, the IRS decided to alter the deduction rules as they pertain to vehicle donations. The rule changes will not hurt you if you intended to donate a vehicle that you are going to value at less than $500, but otherwise there might be some changes you need to be aware of. All new deductions claimed that exceed $500 are subject to these new rule changes, but the regulations that the IRS has now created are not extremely difficult to comprehend. If you have donated a vehicle to a charity that qualifies then you are allowed to claim a deduction up to the exact dollar amount that the charity resells the vehicle for. What this means in a nutshell is that you are not now able to claim the blue book value for your car, as the IRS is more interested in what the vehicle is worth on the open market and not what its possible value would be in a perfect world. Charitable organizations have been instructed all about these rule changes, so they should be able to handle and assist you with the changes without any trouble. If you want to donate a car to a charity you will need to arrange a means of delivery with the charity so it can attempt to resell the vehicle in the near future. As soon as the auction for the vehicle has been held and the vehicle has been sold, the charity will send you a memorandum that lets you know what the gross proceeds from the auction of the vehicle were. This memo will most likely be distributed to you on Tax Form 1098-C, but this is not really required. After you have this information, you can take the deduction from the gross proceeds on Schedule A and attach the Form 1098-C you have been given for your return. On the other hand, if the charity tells you about the sale through a written letter you should attach this letter to your tax return so that you can show documentation that you are in compliance with the new rule change.

As far as my husband and I have come in our lives – gotten our educations, own a home, have an adopted son – none of it has come by easily or cheaply.  I paid off my student loans only 10 years ago at the age of 42, and remember times during my struggle to finish college and grad school when I was down to my last couple of pieces of bread and peanut butter, even though I was working two jobs.  But I was too proud to ask my parents for money.  There were several times when I recall an “angel” in the form of a friend had intervened just at the right moment and sent me a check or slipped me a $20 bill, getting me through.

One afternoon, after a play date, we heard that the mom of my son’s best friend had just gotten her car repossessed, and we felt sad and very anxious for her.  A single parent of three young children, she depended on that car to get to her job as an ER nurse, to get her kids to school – essentially to live independently.  No car meant no job, which meant possibly losing her apartment and ending up in a homeless shelter.  We have always known her to be a good mother and responsible person to her commitments and we knew the loss of her car was not from carelessness or overindulgence.

Even though my car was just a couple of years old, my long commutes to Pasadena for my work were taking a toll on my back and I was looking to upgrade to something  with more back support.  I was not in a hurry to do this, wanting to get a little more life out of this current Ford, but it had been crossing my mind.  That evening after dinner, I turned to my husband and said, “Is there any reason at all that we shouldn’t donate my car to charity for to benefit someone like our son’s best friend’s mom?”  His face lit up and had that grin that tells me we were both on the same page.  He said, “Absolutely no reason at all.”   We were referred to Cars 4 Causes because their Cars 4 Caring program has a reputation of making sure that donated vehicles get into the hands of those most in need.

Sure, we could have sold that car and pocketed the $20K.  But the truth is, we are doing fine.  And given that we are older parents who most likely will not live long enough to be grandparents, we didn’t want to miss the experience of being the ones who could give what it takes to help someone get through.  Giving a car to charity that will allow someone like our son’s best friend’s mom  to not have to worry about a car payment for the next 7 years or so, well, that was exactly the kind of “angels” we wanted to be.

Anonymous

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TEAM CARS 4 CAUSES^® HELPS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN PIRU, CA.

M. Smith

February 1, 2011

Team Cars 4 Causes volunteered to assist Habitat for Humanity in the construction of a custom home in Piru, California this past weekend.  It was a tremendous turn out on a sunny Saturday in southern California.  Honorary Team Cars 4 Causes member, Peter Livingston of Livingston Construction, his son Ian and his lead foreman Rafa, led the way for Team Cars 4 Causes, teaching team members the basics of home construction and providing guidance for those difficult tasks.

Normally, building a house is a daunting task; first you have to buy the land, hire an architect and engineer, draw up the plans to your new home, convince the city to give you permits, find a bank willing to finance your dream home and select a contractor that can see your project through and stay within your budget.   Millions of variables to stay on top of, any one of which can delay your home or blow your budget.

But as we found out here at Cars 4 Causes, a Habitat for Humanity house is different.  Sure the steps are the same, no cheating the system there, but the house is built from an environment of friendly, good-spirited collaboration, and it makes all the difference in the world.  The on-site vibe is fun and energetic.   People volunteer their time to help build these houses and you can feel the affinity volunteers have for their fellow crew members as well as the entire process itself.  There’s tolerance, patience and a helping hand at every turn.  These volunteers aren’t expert tradesmen, so when someone makes a mistake or doesn’t know what to do, everyone helps out to make sure the job gets done and the people doing it feel good about their contribution.

Our job today was to seal, caulk and paint the eaves of the house and install the siding on the home’s exterior.  Six of our team members worked on the siding and the remaining two accepted the task of caulking, sealing and painting the eaves.  Habitat for Humanity Site Manager, John Kestler gave us all instructions on safety and our specific tasks and sent us on our way.  There were a few challenging moments, a lot of questions for Peter, who guided us brilliantly through all the technical matters -  lots of laughs.  We had the privilege to work alongside the new owners who are required to contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity” in their new home.  Having them there really personalized the experience for everyone.

I think it was Rudolf Steiner, speaking of biodynamic farming techniques, who pointed out that energy is an important ingredient that must be considered in the health of what we produce.   Having experienced what goes into a Habitat for Humanity home, I can see that all the fun,  laughs, love and positive energy that went into its construction is as  important a raw material as the concrete and lumber that make up this house.   I know now that this is the Habitat for Humanity difference.

The house we worked on belongs to Richard and Susan Vergana and their two daughters.  The Vergana’s are members of the Maximillian Kolbe Church in Westlake Village who is sponsoring the construction of the house.   Their new home is being built on a site that was once a 40-room hotel.   The site was demolished and construction began in nearly a year ago, in March.   Construction is expected to be completed in June of this year.

Because of the US recession and its impact on the construction industry, Habitat for Humanity has become the 5^th largest construction company in America.   However, their reliance upon construction industry contributions has been severely impacted and volunteers like Team Cars 4 Causes play a much larger role in the construction of a Habitat home than may have in the past.

All of us here at Cars 4 Causes are proud of our contribution to Habitat for Humanity and the Vergana family.   We are excited for the completion of the Piru house this summer and are sure the Vergana family will be happy living in their new home.

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1. Cars 4 Causes Partners with Team Gypsy Kids to Adopt 7 Ukrainian Children.

Cars 4 Causes Partners with Team Gypsy Kids to Adopt 7 Ukrainian Children.

Pat Jessup

January 27, 2011

Angelina and Brad aren’t the only ones adopting kids these days.  Cars 4 Causes recently teamed up with Gypsy Kids and adopted 7 children from the Ukraine; Luli, Kati, Gabor, Misko, Norbi, Roman and Amanda. 

Ranging in age from 2 years to 8 years old, our Gypsy Kids are orphans who were left in the Mukachevo region of the Ukraine.  These children are abandoned and run loose in this region without parental care or supervision.  Team Gypsy Kids is a Christian based ministry who has set up a camp for these orphaned children.  They provide the kids with 2 meals a day, clothing and other basic needs.  Team Gypsy Kids ministry has also installed a flushing toilet and provided 2 working gas stoves to prepare meals. During the winter in Mukachevo, Ukraine the temperatures drop to -35 degrees, so they also provide jackets and clothing for these children.  

Cars 4 Causes has committed monthly financial support for these children and will be able to support their progress as Team Gypsy Kids helps to improve their lives. In addition to financial support, employees of Cars 4 Causes are donating jackets and clothing that can be delivered to our little ones in the Ukraine.

Currently, Team Gypsy Kids has about 160 gypsy orphans with about 65 sponsored. They need all the support they can get to provide meals and clothing to keep these children safe and warm!  If you to want to adopt a Gypsy Kid, it only takes about $1.00 per day to change their life.  Just visit the Team Gypsy Kids web-site at www.teamgypsykids.org to find out more.

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1. CARS 4 CAUSES® HOLDS 5TH ANNUAL KIDS ART CONTEST

S. Madrigal

January 25, 2011

Seems like just yesterday when we were handing out the awards to the children from last years art contest.

Another year, gone already?  Before you know it, we’ll be hosting our tenth art contest, my kids will want my car keys and I’ll be turning 30! ….o.k. 35, but a girl can dream!

But back to present day (whew!…..I feel better already).  This month Cars 4 Causes® held it’s 5^th Annual Kids Art Contest at the Santa Paula Elementary School District.  Six schools from the district participated and, at the contest awards ceremony last week, one winner was chosen from each grade 1 through 5.

This year, the police chief, fire chief and the former mayor/city council member were the honorable judges and it was no easy task.  I’ve been overseeing this contest for three years now and it seems like each year the submissions keep getting better and better.  This year was, by far, the best work ever; making our judges selections very difficult.

But in the end, it was the Glen City Elementary, 1^st grade; Barbara Webster Elementary, second grade; Blanchard Elementary, 3^rd grade; Glen City Elementary, 4^th grade; and Barbara Webster Elementary 5^th grade, all crowned the winners of this years contest.  READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Each student winner received an art kit.  Each winning students’ classroom was awarded $1,000 from Cars 4 Causes®.  And each winning students’ classroom chose an additional charity to receive $1,000 each.  Those charities chosen by the students were; SPIRIT of Santa Paula – Many Meals Project (chose twice); Assistance League School of Ventura County;  Make-a-Wish Foundation, Tri-Counties; and Locks of Love.

On behalf of Cars 4 Causes^® I would also like to thank the staff and teachers of the Santa Paula School District, as well as the parents of the students for their enthusiasm and support for this project.

Cars 4 Causes® 2011-2012 Sixth Annual Art Contest will take place within the Pleasant Valley School District.  This will include Camarillo Heights Elementary, Dos Caminos Elementary, El Descanso Elementary, La Mariposa Elementary, Las Posas Elementary, Rancho Rosal Elemantary and Tierra Linda Elementary.

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