Care Thru Cars Recipients

Care Thru Cars

JD — Honda Pilot

Our latest Care Thru Cars recipient, a woman we’ll be calling JD for her privacy and safety, is a truly remarkable and hard-working woman.

JD came to us after finding Care Thru Cars through an online search, reaching out for support during one of the most difficult seasons of her life. A domestic violence survivor, she is currently working to build a safe, stable future for herself and her two young children.

And she is truly doing the work.

JD is employed as a nurse, showing up every day to care for others even as she navigates this incredibly challenging chapter of her own life. Between her shifts, she’s actively searching for housing, attending medical and therapy appointments for herself and her children, and preparing her children for school next year. She is, in every sense, doing everything right.

The one thing standing between JD and true independence is a reliable, safe vehicle.

Her previous car was no longer an option and became unsafe for her and her family. Without dependable transportation, even the most basic necessities such as getting to work, attending appointments and securing housing have become overwhelming barriers.

In her application, JD shared, “Having a vehicle would restore independence, stability, and safety for my family.” — That’s exactly what this program is about.

So often, the individuals we serve are already working hard, employed, and doing everything they possibly can to move forward. They don’t need a handout; they need that final piece of support to bridge the gap.

For JD, a vehicle means more than transportation. Rather, it’s a means to provide for her family, move freely and safely, and step fully into the life she’s working so hard to rebuild. By removing the burden of a car payment, we hope to give her the freedom to focus on what matters most: her children, her career, and a future defined not by her past, but by her strength.

We’re honored to be a small part of JD’s journey toward independence, and we can’t wait to see all that lies ahead for her and her family.

Care Thru Cars

Sabrina — Honda CR-V

Wow! What an absolute privilege it’s been to not only provide a vehicle to such a wonderful and deserving woman, but simply to meet her.

Sabrina came to us after hearing about Care Thru Cars from a work colleague. Relying on her immense strength and deep-well of faith, she uprooted herself from a dangerously abusive marriage and moved to Greenville in hopes of a fresh start.

Bringing with her only the bare essentials, she found support and community through church and her new job.

Even so, Sabrina struggled to make ends meet as she began her new life of independence. To add to her challenges, her car—which she relied on to get to and from work—blew its engine, rendering itself useless. Without enough savings, Sabrina had to use large sums of money to pay for Ubers when her generous colleagues were unable to provide transportation—neither of which were sustainable options to begin with.

In her CTC application, Sabrina shared, “This vehicle would change my life and give me a new beginning, which is what I am holding on to faith for and trying to do.”

We’re so grateful to be able to offer this gift to Sabrina and assist her in her fresh start.

To add to the touching nature of our time with Sabrina, she requested that the FCH team name her car; a Care Thru Cars first! The team chose the names Sweet Pea and Eudora (Eudora being the Greek word for “precious gift”). Upon sharing their ideas, Sabrina was not only familiar with the word Eudora, but she also shared that, as the smallest person in her family growing up, her father nicknamed her Sweet Pea. It was truly destined to be! So, Sabrina now drives in her beautiful new car named Eudora Sweet Pea.

In her application, Sabrina also shared, “I do all I can to help others, and now that I am in need, it hurts that I have to ask for help. I’ve since learned it’s okay to get help from others… this has taught me a valuable lesson in how to give but [that] it is okay to receive as well.”

This is a lesson so many of us can relate to. Our team at Care Thru Cars is so grateful to be a part of the process of demonstrating the importance of finding this balance in life.

As such, we’d like to say a special thanks to all the shops and part vendors who help us to continue these acts of kindness, including Details and Dents, Family Auto of Easley, and all of their parts suppliers who made donations to recondition the vehicle.

Community is key, and we certainly couldn’t do this without ours.

Care Thru Cars

Xavier — Toyota Avalon

It’s hard to believe that we’re now giving away our 6th vehicle since starting Care Thru Cars.

Our non-profit program allows those in need of a vehicle to apply for the chance to be gifted a well-running car that has been serviced by First Class HALT. While it’s always a challenge to choose just one recipient out of all the well-deserving applications we receive, this round, we are honored to offer this gift to Mr. Xavier Heard.

One of the most humble and caring individuals we’ve had the privilege to interview, Xavier shared with us how much a new car would benefit he and his wife, and their lovely family of four boys.

Not long after completely paying off his last car, the transmission went out. Not only that; his wife’s car quit running only a short time before this occurred, leaving his family without any convenient mode of transportation.

Without the ability to immediately pay for a new vehicle, Xavier had no choice but to utilize Uber and Lyft to transport himself to and from work each day and to get his family to their daily activities and errands.

Because one of his sons suffers from sickle cell disease, frequent visits to the doctor to tend to his son’s medical needs or pain crises are a part of the family’s regular errands. With this being the case, coupled with the exorbitant cost of childcare, Xavier’s wife stays home to take care of their son.

With Xavier being the sole provider for his family, and with the average $275 he spends each week on Uber rides, saving money for a new mode of transportation has become increasingly difficult.

As if hearing Xavier’s story wasn’t touching enough, when asked during our interview what makes Xavier a better candidate compared to the other Care Thru Cars applicants, he humbly and graciously replied, “Honestly, everybody goes through similar situations, so someone else may have it even worse than me. I don’t like to put myself over anyone else or knock someone else’s case; everyone needs help.”

Between his level of dedication to his family and profession and his compassionate heart for others, it was clear that Xavier was the perfect recipient for this round of Care Thru Cars’ car giveaway.

We hope that with his newly serviced and well-maintained Toyota Avalon, Xavier can begin saving again and is able to continue providing for his beautiful family with greater ease. We also hope that Xavier’s story is an inspiration for others who find themselves in a similar situation; we know it has certainly inspired us.

Care Thru Cars

Chad — Lexus RX 350

We’re proud to announce that we’ve just gifted a Lexus to our fifth Care Thru Cars recipient, Keneth “Chad” Dacus of Easley, SC.

Chad was nominated for our program through a childhood friend who described him as having a heart of gold. Having fallen on hard times and financial troubles during the pandemic, Chad was forced to work from home. Known for his strong work ethic, Chad had a difficult time adjusting to the solitude of remote work, which led to a period of him isolating himself from his support system.

At the same time that Chad was experiencing difficult family struggles, he also lost the transmission on the car he had at the time. In order to pay legal fees and to buy himself a new car, Chad had to sell his house and live with friends and family. Unfortunately, bad luck followed for a time as he continuously ran into serious car troubles with the vehicles he managed to save up for.

Thankfully, Chad has since experienced a more positive streak in life. He found a job outside of the house and has experienced additional improvements in other areas of his life. However, he still found himself in need of a reliable vehicle to get him to and from his new position. While he has been able to rely on Ubers to get him to and from work each day, this has cost him over half of his paycheck, making for a less than sustainable option, and the possibility of saving for a down payment on another car an incredibly difficult task.

We’re so grateful to be able to contribute to Chad’s turn of luck, providing him with a reliable vehicle to get him to and from work without the steep cost. We hope this gift offers him the opportunity to take yet another leap forward in what will continue to be an increasingly beautiful and fulfilling life.

Care Thru Cars

Jimmy — Honda Crosstour

We’re delighted to share that we have yet another Care Thru Cars recipient, Jimmy Irving of Greenville, SC! Jimmy, father of two girls ages 3 and 6, was in a car accident that rendered his truck totaled, leaving him completely and unexpectedly without a vehicle. While Jimmy has been fortunate enough to live in close proximity to a friend and co-worker who has been able and willing to drive him to and from work each day, his friend will soon be moving.

Because of this, Jimmy will no longer have a consistent or economical way of getting to his job in order to provide for his two girls and loving fiancé.

Not having access to a vehicle has left Jimmy at risk of losing not only his job, but also of losing time with his children as he is unable to pick them up on the weekends without one. Needless to say, not having a car has negatively impacted Jimmy’s life. Not only that, but if unable to find or purchase one before his friend moves, it could create a domino effect, causing him and his family even more far-reaching financial and personal distress.

Touched by his story, we chose Jimmy as our latest recipient of Care Thru Cars, gifting him a reliable and well-maintained vehicle. We’re grateful to be able to help Jimmy safely get to and from work on a daily basis and to have the ability to pick up his daughters each weekend, allowing them all much-deserved quality time together.

Care Thru Cars

Tameka — Honda Accord

We’re so excited to have gifted our third Care Thru Cars recipient, Tameka, with a Honda! Tameka was nominated into our program through her dear friend, Amanda, who heard about our non-profit on a local radio station.

In the application, Tameka was described as a hard-working and resilient woman who was without a car of her own. At the time she was chosen as our Care Thru Cars recipient, Tameka was borrowing someone else’s car in order to get her kids to and from school and herself to and from work, and she had less than one month left to use it.

Only one year prior, Tameka had left an abusive marriage and lived in a women’s shelter with her kids and grandkids for several months before she was able to find affordable housing. Even so, she was working the entire time, demonstrating her love and dedication to her family. “I would love to see her catch a break,” Amanda shared in the nomination form.

Since coming across Tameka’s application, we’ve been able to experience for ourselves what a wonderful, and indeed hard-working, woman she truly is. With all that she’s done to overcome these painful and challenging situations, we’re so grateful to have the opportunity to now help her catch that much-deserved break. And we hope that this gift helps to start an entirely new chapter for herself and her lovely family. Congratulations, Tameka!

Care Thru Cars

Sarae — Honda CR-V

Our latest Care Thru Cars recipient, Sarae Smith, was just gifted a Honda CRV. Described by her friend as “an angel for many others [who now] needs help from other angels,” we felt called to step in. Sarae recently received an award for “Call Taker of the Year” by the Sheriff’s Office in Greenville County for her incredible work as a dispatcher. Unfortunately, Sarae’s car recently failed her, leaving her with repair costs that were higher than the car’s value.

Without immediate funds to pay for these repairs, or for a new car, Sarae needed a way to continue getting to work and helping those in need.

In addition to her work at the Sheriff’s Office, Sarae has also been volunteering for Defenders for Children, an organization that fights against child abuse, trafficking, and child pornography, since 2012. As someone who dedicates so much of her time to providing important work for our community, we’re grateful for the opportunity to offer her the transportation she needed to continue those efforts.

Care Thru Cars

Christopher — Honda Civic

Having recently launched Care Thru Cars, through which we give away a well-maintained vehicle to someone who could greatly benefit, we are so pleased and proud to have just distributed our first free car; a Honda, to a well-deserving young man, Christopher Higgins! We are so grateful that through this process, we were granted the opportunity to get to know Christopher, who is such a kind, motivated and genuinely considerate person.

Christopher’s mother, Sheryl, nominated Christopher, knowing very well what he had recently been through, and the advantages a car would bring. Sheryl’s nomination gave Christopher the chance to share his story with us directly:

Like so many of us, Christopher was ready and excited to step out into the world with a bold “Watch out world, here I come!” attitude, and to begin his new chapter in life. Christopher worked both full and part-time jobs while attending Furman University, and so was already quite familiar with the concept of hard-work, which he was fully prepared to carry with him on his upcoming career path. However, he could not have anticipated what was to come next and how it would affect him.

Only one week before Christopher’s graduation, he was sitting inside his car in broad daylight when he found himself being held at gunpoint and demanded to get out of his car. Of course, Christopher did as he was told, and then proceeded to watch as his car, phone and all of his work tools sped away, ultimately costing him his job, his enthusiasm towards the future and his sense of security.

Eventually, Christopher’s car was found, completely totaled, leaving Christopher with no mode of independent transportation and even less certainty regarding his future.

Hearing Christopher’s story, we were completely touched, feeling into the shift that such a terrifying and invasive event would create for anyone, let alone a young man on the precipice of “starting his new life.” While a free car could not change the events that had already taken place for Christopher, our hopes were that it would give him the fresh start that he so deserves in order to reignite his hopes and eagerness towards the future, and his ability to move forward in the direction of his choosing.

With the wonderful and uplifting experience that we have shared with Christopher and Sheryl, we are more motivated than ever to continue on with Care Thru Cars, knowing that Christopher was far from alone in facing the challenges that having no vehicle creates. Our hope is to continue growing so that we can help as many people and families as possible.