PROVO, Utah – Dickerson Automotive of Spanish Fork was recently able to donate a car to a deserving family through a program it calls “Wheels with Heart.” And according to office manager
Brylee Jo Pace, it was a very touching experience that they hope to be able to do again.
The car was donated to Dickerson Automotive by a local family, which is not normally how the Wheels with Heart program works. The program began as a way for owner Todd Dickerson to give back to the community through repair service to families and individuals in need.
For several years, in fact, Dickerson has provided his services free of charge, with the help of generous donors to the cause.
The repair service, according to Pace, was a more cost effective and efficient way to get people back on the road. However, when the car donation came in with minimal repairs to be done, it was something that needed to be handled with care.
“We don’t typically give cars away, since sometimes the cars that customers are willing to donate are not worth repairing or won’t accommodate a family,” Pace said.
“But when we received this amazing car donation from the Jolly family, we knew we would need to find help finding the right candidate. We reached out to the Spanish Fork/Salem Chamber of Commerce, and Studio Chatter to help us spread the word, as well as posted on social media where several of our local businesses helped share. We normally receive one or two applications, and this time we had over ten of them. From there, our management team narrowed it down to who it would benefit the most.”
The family who received the car has been kept anonymous, but Pace said that it was a very deserving family, and a wonderful experience.
“We would like the family to remain anonymous but I will say that they are a young local couple that recently had a baby who was in the NICU for quite some time,” Pace said. “It was hard for the father to be able to go to work while they had countless doctors’ appointments and things that come along with having a new baby. Giving them a second vehicle has benefited them greatly, and they were grateful.
“It was also a wonderful experience for us,” she continued. “I don’t know if there are ever the right words to describe that feeling other than heartwarming and overwhelming joy. We really try to help those who are just down on their luck. They are hardworking people who would never ask for help themselves, but really deserve to have a hand up. All we ask, is that if they are able to in the future is to pay if forward somehow. That could even be simple tasks like buying a drink for someone at the gas station behind you! We feel like these small acts of kindness could really change someone’s life.”
While the car has been donated, the program isn’t going anywhere soon, says Pace.
“We hope it gets even bigger!” Pace said. “We would be able to help many more families if we were able to receive more donations from the community. Not many people realize that even $50 to $100 can go a long way. All donations we receive go toward purchasing parts. Our owner, Todd, donates the labor so donations really help us out. We have been lucky to receive very generous donations from the Odd Fellows of Pleasant Grove. We also have amazing vendors that have worked with us on discounts, and ABS towing has helped tow vehicles for our shop.”
The Dickerson Automotive team says that they are grateful for those who donate to their Wheels with Heart program.
