The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (GSCM) are tackling a new project: car donations. Through a partnership between GSCM and Vehicles For Change, individuals can donate a car and simultaneously support the Girl Scouts.

In early 2011, when the GSCM and VFC began their partnership, the Girl Scouts reached out to their supporters to explain the value of donating a car to VFC. And their efforts have been successful: to date, four cars have been donated to VFC through the GSCM partnership. In exchange for their efforts, the Girl Scouts receive 40% of the net proceeds from the sale of cars donated on their behalf.

In fact, Vehicles For Change president Marty Schwartz recently presented the Girl Scouts with a check for $3,200 – which they earned from the sale of one vehicle. It would take a huge cookie sale to equal the success of this fundraising effort! The Girl Scouts plan to use the funds to enrich the programs and experiences that they offer young women.

Interested in becoming one of our partners? Visit vehiclesforchange.org for more information.

December was a record-setter at VFC. The organization received 432 vehicle donations, the most ever in a single month. VFC’s Marty Schwartz took the year’s final donation by phone at 11:47 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

“What a terrific way to start 2012.  We can’t thank our donors enough,” said Schwartz. “The more cars we receive, the more people we can help. We hope to make this a very good year for many struggling families.”

Any month is a good month to donate a car! Please tell your families and friends

When Deedri White’s Dodge Durango broke down during the muggy summer of 2010, she knew exactly where to turn to purchase a new car: Freedom Wheels, a subsidiary of Vehicles For Change that sells used cars to the general public.

White had become involved with Vehicles For Change a few years prior – back in 2007, she found herself without a vehicle and without the funds needed to purchase a car. Read more

Your car uses the most amount of gas when it accelerates, so the key to saving money on gasoline is to have a consistent drive. If you pay attention to the cars in front of you, you can anticipate when traffic will slow and can ease off the gas instead of hitting the breaks. When you follow this method, you can keep your speed without having to accelerate and use more gas. Following this method can earn you 10-20 percent better gas mileage.

A shift in your driving patterns will help you increase your fuel economy.