When you call Kars4Kids to donate your car, the agent who answers the phone is a real person, not a robot or an employee of some third-party vendor. Our agents care about our donors and enjoy chatting with them about their lives and the reasons they are donating their cars. Sometimes they even have the power to change those donors’ lives in ways not car related.
At the end of last summer, one of our agents, Beth, took a call from a man who wanted to donate a late model car because he was suffering from an illness which prevented him from driving it. She became concerned when he read off the VIN number phonetically so she could process the transaction: “D like in death, f like in funeral.” She realized that he was depressed, but the tone of his voice compelled her to act.
“I Googled the police station in his area and spoke with a police officer,” said Beth. “The officer put me on hold and called the donor immediately. She got back to me, saying that he told her he feels ill but he doesn’t want to commit suicide.”
Beth remembered the date because it was Labor Day, and it wasn’t so easy to get the police station to pick up the phone. But she was persistent because she was worried about the donor. She may have saved his life through her act of kindness – if he had been considering suicide, just the call from the police may have changed his mind.
Another donor confided that she chose Kars4Kids to donate her late husband’s car because whenever he showered, he sang the Kars4kids jingle. She thought it would be an appropriate tribute.
So if you are donating your car, feel free to have a chat with the agent who takes your call. In an increasingly impersonalized world, we are real people and so are you. Let’s make a connection.
