Nikita Smart drove away in her own car last week, a recently donated and repaired 1996 Honda Accord, following a ceremony for Wheels4Hope, which is celebrating its recent launch in Asheville. The car recipient, along with her 11-year old daughter, were referred to Wheels4Hope by Community Action Opportunities.
Reliable transportation matters and many in our community don’t have it, say the folks at Wheels4Hope. It can mean the difference between poverty and the middle class. A car that starts can open the door to education, employment and an improved quality of life, they say. In partnership with established, local nonprofit organizations, Wheels4Hope Asheville aims to work toward a solution to this problem, one donated car at a time.
The cars are not given away – they are sold for $500 to promote ownership and accountability (the average value of the cars is in the $2,000 – 4,000 range). The Asheville Wheels4Hope program is based on an innovative model developed in Raleigh and Greensboro 15 years ago to respond to the need for reliable transportation. In early 2014, a group of non-profit workers, a local business owner and mechanic, a faith leader, and community volunteers formed a committee in Asheville to explore the possibility of creating Wheels4Hope Asheville.
“This car will be such an asset to me and my daughter,” said Nikita Smart. “I will be able to make her orchestra recitals and drop her off at Girl Scout Camp like most parents do. This will also allow me to look for full-time work in my field in the surrounding area since transportation will no longer be a problem for me. This opportunity will bless so many others than just my family.”
Nikita Smart is a single mother who moved to Asheville in 2009 determined to improve her family’s quality of life. She found an apartment in late 2010. Unable to find work, she volunteered her time for causes in the community that led to a part-time, stipend position. She attended classes at AB-Tech and completed the Office Professional Certification. Nikita was referred to Wheels4Hope by Community Action Opportunities where she is a participating in the Life Works program — an intensive, employment-focused program that works to eliminate barriers toward self-sufficiency.
Wheels4Hope is a local car donation program that takes donated cars, repairs them and works with community partner agencies to get the cars to people who need reliable transportation. Donated cars are repaired by volunteers (currently Organic Mechanic is donating their time and space) and placed by referral through agencies in the local Asheville area such as Community Action Opportunities.
Thanks in part to a People in Need grant from the Community Foundation of WNC with support from the Dogwood Fund and an anonymous Community Foundation of WNC fund holder, Wheels4Hope Asheville has recently hired Jamie Beasley to serve as the organization’s first full-time staff member. The group is actively seeking additional donated cars. For more information, contact Jamie Beasley at Jamie@Wheels4Hope.org or (828) 676-5150.
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