Good to Know: Car Maintenance Help for Single Parents in Need

By Desiree Parker Friday, October 09, 2009

Charlie Marcotte and his dad, Chuck, recently opened up their second American Pride Automotive location in Williamsburg (the first is in Yorktown) – but they’re doing more than just bringing cars and a new service shop to the area. They’re bringing big hearts and a will to do good, and a challenge to other business owners out there to give back to the community.

I had a chance to talk with Charlie this week, and he told me about the new “Family Service Day” at American Pride Automotive. I gotta admit, I didn’t believe him at first. It sounded too good to be true.

On Saturday, October 10, the Marcottes and their dedicated service staff will open their doors to single-parent families who need help maintaining their cars. They’ll be doing free oil and filter changes and tire rotations, and they’ll be checking belts and hoses, and pretty much doing whatever they can for people who can’t afford to get their cars serviced.

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish just by raising a person’s hood,” Charlie says. Aside from fixing what they can that day, they’ll also have friends on hand who know cars who can help tell people how to maintain their cars, what to look for, and any other words of advice that might come to mind.

“People 30 and under, some don’t know what they’re looking at when you pop the hood,” Charlie says. He remembers a winter when he was young up in New Hampshire, when his mom’s car broke down and she had to walk to work in the freezing weather because she was a woman alone who didn’t know what to do to fix her car, and couldn’t get help.

Sometimes people can’t afford to fix their cars, or maybe they only have one vehicle for their whole family, or they just don’t know what’s wrong and can get taken advantage of. A single parent has it especially tough, trying to take care of kids and work, without having to worry about car problems. These are all things Charlie and his staff can help with.

“These times can be desperate ones for many people,” Charlie says. “We have this chance to absolutely make a difference in people’s lives, with little cost other than our time and some parts. My employees know what it’s like to struggle – this will give them a real sense of pride.”

He’s asked his customers and people from his church that if they know of folks who need some assistance, they should send them in on Saturday. Chick-Fil-A will offer a meal to people who come who might need it, and their giant cow will be there to entertain the kids.

I asked Charlie how he’d ask people to prove that they’re in real need of his help. “If they’re a single parent in need, I’m not gonna make them prove it. I’m not gonna worry about qualifying people, I’ll just help them. Will I fix the car of someone who could have afforded it? Maybe. But I’m going to do what I can to make a difference.”

He says he’s going to offer this program every 6 weeks, beginning with the new Williamsburg shop and then rotating between their Williamsburg and Yorktown locations.

“Everyone has a duty to do something beyond themselves,” says Charlie. “The only disappointment for me would be if no one shows up.”

He hopes the program will challenge other business owners to think of ways they can help the community, too. “My personal goal is to make this program so successful that it is a call to action of all businesses to pick a fight of their own, or sponsor someone else’s,” he says. “I would like to have businesses feel conspicuous if they are not actively involved in something that betters our community.”

Family Service Day will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, October 10, and run until 2 p.m. Charlie asks that people call them at (757) 220-2525 to make an appointment for that day or make an appointment online at their Web site. The American Pride Automotive location in Williamsburg is at the corner of Richmond Road and Airport Road.

Know something that's good to know? Share it with Desiree Parker by emailing her at desiree@wydaily.com.