American Pride Reaches Out to Help Avalon's Families

By Eric Pesola Friday, July 22, 2011

Two local organizations are joining forces to give single parent households help with something that can be both a mystery and a must-have: their cars.

This Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., American Pride Automotive’s Williamsburg location invites single-parent families to bring their car in for a free oil change, tire rotation, check of belts, hoses and fluids and some automobile advice. American Pride is partnering with Avalon: A Center for Women to reach as many single-parent families as possible, in an arrangement that seems to be a perfect fit.

“It’s a wonderful partnership,” said Sarah Meachum, executive director of Avalon, which provides services and shelter for sexual and domestic violence survivors in the Historic Triangle. “We were looking for a local community partner who was really interested in serving our families. They are not really looking for customers — they are looking to build relationships. They realize that the families that we are serving are hard working and they are dealing with a lot of barriers.

Meachum says this sort of help can be life-changing, because reliable transportation in the Williamsburg community is essential for shuttling children to day care, getting to doctor’s appointments and meeting with teachers.

Governmental funding for private, non-profit organizations like Avalon has been drastically reduced in recent years. In Avalon’s case, two years ago 70 percent of their funding came from municipalities. Today, that support is down to just 42 percent, forcing Avalon to alter their business plan and lean on private support from local firms like American Pride in order to continue.

Meachum stresses to people who are unfamiliar with Avalon’s mission that her organization is extremely streamlined and efficient, and help from volunteers and donors is absolutely essential.

“We don’t have fancy muffins in our office and none of our furniture matches. But what we do, and all of our expenses — becomes client first,” said Meachum. “And we have to make difficult decisions. It’s all of our responsibility to look for ways to save money without sacrificing the needs of clients.”

This sort of need attracted the attention of American Pride owner Charlie Marcotte to help. Looking for a new outlet for his Family Service Day, Marcotte and his team at American Pride reached out to Avalon, hoping that they could work together.

“I grew up in a single-parent environment,” said Marcotte. “I know that this is tough because cars are expensive to maintain.”

Marcotte hosts a Family Service Day event at either his York County or Williamsburg locations every six weeks. He said they have serviced about 450 vehicles over the past two years.

“When we talk about it to customers and people out in the community, they think of it as ‘free maintenance,’” said Marcotte. “But that’s not what this is all about. It’s very easy to give something to someone but it’s very hard to be a good steward and help that person move forward.

“Most of my guys are helping out. We give one hour per customer. We give quality service to these folks. We take them out into the shop and show them how to change their fluids. We hope to give them enough information to enable independence.”

Marcotte said there will be plenty to do Saturday for both children and adults. Chick-fil-A will be on site providing lunch, along with the famous Chick-fil-A cow and crafts for young people. Staff members from Avalon will also be on hand to meet their clients and help them take advantage of the service provided by American Pride. Members of military families with spouses on deployment are also invited.

Marcotte says people, including his regular customers, often ask how they can help with the periodic service days. He’s suggesting they bring a donation for Avalon in the form of paper towels, laundry soap, diapers or other essential toiletries.

“Women show up at Avalon with just the shirts on their back,” said Marcotte. “That’s why we are raising supplies for them. A lot of people we have helped in the past have asked us how they can help out during Family Service Day. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

The very fact that many of Avalon’s past clients are able to drive in with a vehicle of their own is a victory in itself. Avalon’s staff is planning on something different for this meeting with their current and former clients.

“This is a celebration,” said Meachum. “Most of our families are in jobs, on the road, [and] in permanent housing. These are all really great success stories. It’s really our privilege to watch them be what they wanted to be.”

For more information about Family Service Day, click here.