Stovebolt.com Forums The Back Office The Greasy Spoon Christmas suggestions

Back in the middle 60's we accidentally started our Christmas tradition on a 57 Chevy with a 235 and a used up 3sp transmission. The lady owner worked at a nearby school desk manufacturer and was a single mom with no money. She shyly approached me to see if I would consider letting her pay out the needed transmission repair on credit. After she told me she left for work two hours early because she only had first gear that worked I said I would take a chance on her and to run her car into the shop as we had several old Chevy 3sp's we had from replacing the weak GM tranny with the super strong Ford top loader in race cars. I told her the whole job would cost her $35. That was in October and she brought SOMETHING in every Friday, usually $2 but one time fifty cents. A week before Christmas I wrote "paid in full" on her ticket and her tears and smiles were the very best Christmas present WE ever had so a tradition was started. Cars got too complicated and we have no modern test equipment so the last half dozen years we have been assembling everything from scooters to lawnmowers the weekend before Christmas from those IMPOSSIBLE instructions. The guys volunteer to work gratis on this weekend. We will continue the assembly tradition but am open to other suggestions so please sound off. Thank you; Evan

Evan you are a man with a big heart. There is a garage in OKC that repairs cars for free for deserving folks. All parts are paid for through donations and labor is free. Perhaps this is something you could do one or two Saturdays in December. Get your parts suppliers on board and get the word out to the DAV, American Legion and VFW then let them supply you with names of deserving veterans.

I started something similar at the Guard Unit years ago. The Troops and I would collect used bikes and parts all year long and assemble what we could from the parts. We would sell some BBQ to help fund the projects, parts and paint. Around the first week of December we would donate as many bikes as we could to our local Fire Dept. They would load up one of their engines and make trips around town passing out bikes to Kidswho would have otherwise had nothing.

I am all for helping people who are trying to help themselves. I will meet them halfway and then some.
As far as for kids, I'm all in for seeing that they get what I am able to give them. Kids don't have the option of selecting their parents.
I had a rough childhood. I still smile thinking of all of the kind souls who helped me out along the way while I was struggling through what no kid should ever be subjected too.

Evan,, that is a heart warming story ..good on ya .. just like Carl.. the wife and I will help people who are trying to help themselves and cant or use some help due to hard times or unforseen happenings..