Donate Your Old Car to SURVIVORS

Did you know that you can donate your old or unused vehicle to SURVIVORS at no cost to you? It’s easy, tax deductible, and makes a huge difference.

Why Donate?

• Avoid the hassles of selling a car
• No need to pay hefty repair bills
• Free up space in your garage
• Tax deductible

Kevin DeKock, MSW donated his old Ford Focus to SURVIVORS. Here is his story:

“While I was a social work intern at Survivors of Torture International, I drove a car that befitted a social work intern. When people rode with me in my blue, 2002 Ford Focus during the summer, I apologized for the manual windows and lack of AC. I’d sometime say “Hey, at least it gets me from A to B.” This was a lie. Between flat tires, a leaky radiator, and a bum clutch, the car often did not get me from A to B but from A to me in a mechanic parking lot, cursing the car’s existence and the man on Craigslist who sold it to me.

I truly hated that car but it (mostly) provided me the means to get to my internship three days a week. At SURVIVORS I had the chance to be trained by a compassionate and hard working staff and work with wonderful clients. A few times, I drove clients to an outing in my car. They didn’t seem to mind the heat and always hid any fear when the broken sun visor fell in front of the driver’s eyes. For many of them, going to SURVIVORS was the highlight of their week and they were always thankful for the lift. The trolley from El Cajon is a long ride.

One day while driving to class in the middle of the semester, smoke started pouring from my radio. Sure, the tracks I listen to are hot, but not that hot. The mechanic told me what I knew was inevitable and for what I secretly longed. Fixing the car would cost so much that I may as well scrap it. I called the junkyard and they gave me a quote that would just be able to cover my textbooks next semester.

From the day after I bought the car to the day it self-immolated, I hated it. No, I couldn’t end my relationship with this junker with the bitter taste of regret in my mouth. The only good thing about it is that it got me to SURVIVORS. I knew that SURVIVORS had a relationship with a car donation organization and I asked Kathi for the paperwork. I procrastinated filling out the forms, while the Focus sat on a bridge downtown. Turns out everybody knew to avoid it but me. When I did fill out the forms it was super easy and straightforward. A tow truck picked it up and it was auctioned for a surprisingly high price.

I witnessed firsthand the amazing work Survivors of Torture, International does for refugees and asylum seekers who have been tortured. Their services are invaluable. I was happy to turn something bad (the breakdown of my car) into something good (donating to SURVIVORS), and I know I made the right choice. If you can spare the extra cash when buying a new vehicle, I encourage you to consider donating your old one to Survivors of Torture International. In a profound and meaningful way, they are helping the people who deserve and need our help the most turn something bad into something good too.”

Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to donate a vehicle to SURVIVORS.