Saturday, January 30, 2010

Free Charity Cars gave away more cars today!

Now I feel all warm and fuzzy.

I really like the interactive website that FCC uses to help select recipients for the cars they award. Some of how they make their choices in who is given a car has to do with factors in the application, and some of it is effected by how many cars are donated to FCC in a given area, and partly the decision is effected by the applicants all interfacing with each other on this website. Members can tell their story, read about each other, and vote to help each other get closer to having the car they really need.

As a side product of the way the project is handled, the applicants all over the country get to know each other a little bit. I'm sure many real and special friendships have been formed through this interactive social network. Most of the applicants are in a difficult spot in their lives in one way or another. Trough reading each others stories and interacting, many of the members feel less alone in their troubles, and more able to give and receive emotional support to each other.

A large focus of course is the practical reality that being a car owner often creates opportunities and facilitates taking care of themselves and their families. People who cannot afford a car have more limited opportunities for work, and often have much more difficulty taking care of basic needs. Imagine getting your groceries across town once a week, and having to take multiple buses and carry heavy bags. When I owned a car, I didn't even think about things like that-- it was a five minute, simple task. Now it is an all day affair! Interestingly, as the members commiserate, they often seem ready to share ideas and resources that may be supportive or empowering past the possibility of getting a much needed vehicle.

That's amazing.

It's also really nice to see some of the other members get awarded. It takes some time and dedication to participate in the FCC website, and can even be a it frustrating when you can't get a proper computer connection. However, when you start looking back over the status updates and see several new people that are all excited and grateful-- because someone just handed them keys and said "Here you go!" :-)

It makes me feel good to see that because I understand the difficulty of life without a car, and I'm always happy when I see someone being given an opportunity to make their life better. These things have ripple effects in communities. Suddenly one lady's daughter can join the girl scouts and get a ride from her mom, and a person who has medical problems can get to a doctor....

It's also nice to watch because it legitimizes the charity in a very real and direct way. I definitely don't mind promoting something that is helping a lot of people out! :-)

Speaking of promoting, one young woman who was just awarded a car keeps another blog about supporting FCC, check it out:

Promoting FCC Blog by MeandAleah

http://promotingfcc.blogspot.com/

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