In one Virginia auto shop, the cars are headed somewhere simple and life-changing: to single mothers who need a way to get to work, school and medical appointments.
At Louisa County High School near Richmond, a group of students has been repairing used cars that are then given to local single moms. The students are part of a trade program tied to a partnership between the school and a local non-profit, Giving Words, which fixes used cars and donates them at no cost.
Giving Words was founded in 2018 by Eddie Brown and his wife, Ginny. Brown said the couple came to understand that single mothers needed help in several areas, and transportation rose to the top.
“What we learned was transportation was the first thing,” Brown said to Today. “Without transportation, you don’t have access to a job, you don’t have access to education, you don’t have access to medical needs.”
What began in Brown’s driveway has since grown across Virginia. Brown said the charity has received more than 60 donated cars to date. Giving Words also works with local dealership Carter Myers Automotive to coordinate the donated vehicles.
Now, students, including Owen Yarrington and Stephen Smith, are among those helping get the donated cars back on the road.
For Smith, the work carries real pressure because someone else will depend on the vehicle being safe to drive.
“So it is a lot of pressure because you had to do it right and you have to make sure everything’s torqued to spec so nothing falls apart,” Smith said.
Even with that pressure, Smith said the work is also enjoyable.
“It’s a lot of fun too,” Smith said.
Yarrington said the handover moments stay with the students, especially when they see what the cars mean to the women receiving them.
“When they tear up and cry it makes you want to tear up and cry,” Yarrington said.
The students are guided by Shane Robertson, a teacher who once walked the same halls as a student in the program. Robertson said he knew back in high school that he wanted to become an auto teacher, and he said he understands the meaning a car can carry beyond the parts that make it run.
“It’s not just a car,” Robertson said. “It’s not just nuts and bolts. It’s literally the difference between someone making it and someone not.”
That difference was about to become real for Jessica Williams, a single mother of three who was next to receive a free car.
Williams had been trying to support her family while working as a grocery store cashier. She said the vehicle opens up new options for her future, including more schooling, better work and more time with her children.
“I can further my education now,” Williams said. “I can go to college, I can get a better job. Just all of it, more time with my family.”
She also thanked the people behind the effort, including the students who helped repair the car.
“So many people had a part in this and I’ll never forget it,” Williams said.
The program brings together students learning a trade, a non-profit built around donated cars and mothers who need reliable transportation. Brown said the charity grew from a driveway project into a statewide effort, with more than 60 donated cars received so far.
The students at Louisa County High School are part of that work, repairing vehicles that Giving Words then gives away for free. For Smith and Yarrington, the task comes with pressure and emotion. For Robertson, it reflects what a car can mean. For Williams, it means a shot at college, a better job and more time with her family.
📸credit: TODAY
