from the October, 2014 issue of Kiai!

Donate Your Car!

 

By Senpai Michele Curley
1st Degree Black Belt and TW Board Member

Do you have an “older” car that you are looking to replace? Why not consider selling it and donating the proceeds to Thousand Waves. I just did and the process was painless and even, dare I say, fun!


If you have a car you want to sell for charity, we have
a guy! Dan will make sure TW gets all the proceeds.

Senpai Pat Broughton’s brother, Dan, loves to sell used cars. It’s not his job – it’s one of his hobbies. Senpai Pat, who co-chairs the Fundraising Committee with Ellen Gibbon, told us at a meeting that her brother had helped Senpai Amy sell her car and that a portion of the proceeds was donated to charity. Pat floated the idea of starting a car-selling campaign in which Dan would help to sell the car (taking no fee for himself) with the understanding that at least half of the selling price would be donated to Thousand Waves. Serendipitously, I was just about to look for a new car and was interested in selling my 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid. So I said I would do it!

A month or so after that fundraising meeting, my partner Stacey and I bought our 2014 Subaru Forester. Shortly thereafter, I gave Dan a call. He was immediately enthusiastic about selling the Civic! I explained that the car needed some repairs and that the big (costly) hybrid battery would have to be replaced.  After some research, he determined that the best bet would be to go to Carmax. They ran their numbers and offered me $1,200. I was very happy with amount and was especially happy that I really did not have to do very much to get it done. Dan did the research. All I had to do was drive the car to Carmax in the near north suburbs. In less than an hour the car was sold and I had a check in hand. Dan also gave me a ride back home!

The next time that I went to train at Thousand Waves, I signed the check over and gave it to Sei Shihan Nancy.

We (the Fundraising Committee) realize that not everyone would be able to afford to donate the whole amount. However we ask you to consider donating half the proceeds, or more if you can, in exchange for absolutely expert and pain-free assistance in selling your used car! Be aware that many organizations exist that advertise they sell cars for charity, but that in most cases those organizations take a good portion of the proceeds; Dan is doing this as his own contribution, and takes no fee for himself! This is just another way of giving back to the incredible organization that is Thousand Waves.