Wheels 4 Hope opens local office
Robert Hall, a client and volunteer with Veterans Helping Veterans Heal, receives his new car from Wheels 4 Hope.
Wheels 4 Hope, a nonprofit that provides cars to those in need, has opened an office in Winston-Salem.
Wheels 4 Hope is a 501(c)(3) that takes donated cars, fixes them up and then sells them for $500 plus tax to those who need transportation. It was founded in Raleigh in 2000 and has served more than 3,000 people statewide by connecting them with affordable, reliable transportation. The organization’s Triad hub started in 2012. It has one office in Greensboro and has now opened a second office at the Stratford Executive Court located at 163 Stratford Court, Suite 125.
Triad Hub Manager Peter Tyler said that the new location, which was made possible by a Winston-Salem Foundation grant, will let Wheels 4 Hope live up to its saying of “Turning local cars into local blessings.”
“What we envision is a Winston-Salem donation to eventually be placed with a Winston-Salem resident,” he said.
He said that the new office will accept donations. It’ll act as the location where cars are presented to their new owners. It’s also where orientation will be held for recipients, going over things like car care and their vehicle’s six-month warranty.
Previously, recipients have been traveling to Greensboro for the required orientation. Cars will also be sold to raise funds for the nonprofit at the new office. Wheels 4 Hope is working with local partner garages to prepare donated cars for new owners.
Wheels 4 Hope works through partner agencies to find those who need transportation. Locally, these partners include Experiment in Self Reliance, Family Services, Housing Authority of Winston-Salem, Habitat for Humanity, Youth in Transition, Salvation Army, Nurse-Family Partnership, Pierced Ministries and Imprints Cares. The program requires recipients to have a valid driver’s license, no car in the household, be a wage earner and have a relationship with a partnership agency.
Adriane Singleton, the group’s external relations coordinator, said they regularly get calls from people with job opportunities they can’t get to because they lack transportation. Having a car lets people pursue opportunities while not being restricted to where bus routes go or how much they can afford to pay for taxis or ride sharing services.
“It changes their lives,” said Singleton. “A car can take people from poverty to prosperity.”
Recently, Robert Hall, a client and volunteer with Veterans Helping Veterans Heal, received a car. The organization plans to present a car this week to a participant in the Shalom Project’s Circles initiative, which is a support program for low-income individuals.
