Best Auto Longmont Participates in Cars for Christmas & Single Parent Car Care Clinic

Chris Carlson, the new owner of Best Auto Longmont car repair, wants to give back. Since buying the shop six months ago, he has teamed up with local nonprofit Pearl Group to sponsor free car care clinics for single parents. In addition, the auto shop participates in 'Cars For Christmas,' a yearly giveaway sponsored by Willie B. of KBPI radio, that provides needy individuals and families with transportation.

The Pearl Group, a faith-based organization that branched out from Life Bridge Christian Church in 2012, provides single-parent families with support and believes that a reliable vehicle offers solo parents one of their greatest sources of independence, allowing them to get to work, daycare, and medical appointments.

Through their Transportation Program, Pearl sponsors monthly car care clinics at Best Auto and All American Car Repair in Longmont. Single parents can sign up for the service for free, and teams of volunteer mechanics do routine maintenance such as oil changes, a thirty-point safety check, and essential repairs. In extreme situations, they will even provide a donated car to keep parents and kids on the road. The group services more than one hundred cars each year during the monthly clinics, which are held on the second Saturday of the month, every month except July and August.

Willie B, a self-professed 'gearhead,' and popular morning show deejay at KBPI in Denver, started Cars for Christmas in 2016, providing fifteen vehicles to persons in need. Last year he gave away more than thirty cars, and this year the goal is one hundred. He manages the giveaway on his own "time and dime," and every year receives thousands of nominations through his Facebook page.

Hopeful auto owners or their friends submit the reasons a car would make a difference in the life of the applicant. Auto repair shops around the metro area, including Best Auto in Longmont and Abra Auto Body in Boulder, donate their resources and time, and sometimes even cars. NAPA Auto Parts supplies parts at cost and batteries for free.

Carlson got involved with Cars for Christmas when he reached out to Willie for some advertising, which ended up in a two-hour meeting. "We ironed out the details. We're basically fixing [the cars] up and giving them to needy families. All the shops get together at the station to give the cars away." He has also partnered with Boulder Mental Health, repairing a car for them.

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