Good News Garage NH and Ride-Away provide wheelchair accessible van

Most of us take our independence for granted, but not Rita Gravel of Manchester who recently regained her freedom thanks to a donated wheelchair van provided by Ride-Away and Good News Garage NH.

Ride-Away, America's number one provider of modified vehicles and adaptive equipment and Good News Garage, a New England car donation non-profit, have teamed up to provide appropriate vehicles to low-income individuals with disabilities.

Rita, who has a nerve disorder and is confined to a wheelchair, received the keys to her donated van from Manchester Mayor, Ted Gatsas on Monday, November 15, 2010 at the Ride-Away offices in Londonderry, NH. This van, donated to Good News Garage NH by Ride-Away, will allow Rita to get to the store, to doctor’s appointments and to become an active member of her community; something she has been unable to do for over four years.

“I want to thank the folks at Ride-Away and Good News Garage for everything they have done. This van will change my life” said Rita after receiving her van keys.

While Good News Garage, a program of Lutheran Social Services, provides donated cars, vans and trucks to working individuals in need, the car charity will accept and award donated wheelchair vans when possible. In 2008, Good News Garage NH provided a wheelchair van to the Orton family of Gilford, NH providing them with safe and reliable transportation for their son.

Since 1996, more than 3,500 individuals have received a reliable, donated car, van or truck from Good News Garage. All cars provided by Good News Garage have been donated and qualify for a tax deduction. To donate a car, van or truck to Good News Garage visit: www.GoodNewsGarage.org or call toll-free: 877.GIVE.AUTO (448.3288). Good News Garage: Donate a car...Change a life!

Good News Garage NH - Donate a car...Change a life!

I love this photo of Nick (second from left), the Good News Garage NH vehicle processor, shown here with the recipients of a donated and refurbished 2001 Ford Windstar with 185,000 miles. To receive a car from Good News Garage, a client cannot have a working car in the household. So the families that Good News Garage NH serves struggle to commute to work, childcare, medical appointments and even to the store. By accepting, repairing and awarding reliable donated cars to families in need, Good News Garage changes lives one car at a time. And the joy and relief felt by our clients is often displayed on the faces of our clients when they pick up their "new" vehicles.

If you have an older car, van or truck that you no longer need, please consider donating it to Good News Garage NH. All car donors have the satisfaction of knowing that their car is transporting a new family toward financial independence. To date, more than 12,000 cars have been donated to Good News Garage and Good News Garage has provided vehicles to more than 3,500 families throughout New England.

In addition, Good News Garage car donors may realize a unique tax advantage. Other car donation programs liquidate the cars they receive limiting the tax deduction to the amount the charity receives at auction. Cars donated to Good News Garage NH that can be reconditioned and awarded to a family qualify for a deduction equal to the vehicle's full fair market value! This can mean a deduction worth thousands of dollars.

To donate a car, van, truck, boat, RV, moped, motorcycle, camper, ATV or jet ski, to Good News Garage New Hampshire, call toll-free: 877-GIVE-AUTO (448-3288) or visit on-line: http://www.goodnewsgarage.org/.