Naturally, the first question was: Will it run?

It didn’t take long to get an answer. We stuck in a battery, bypassed the old gas in the tank with a little pump and can and then Cliff got behind the wheel, turned the key, and the Catalina fired right up.

Getting it started turned out to be easier than seeing where he was going. As Cliff prepared to move the car away from the garage, you can hear him announce one of the Catalina’s more obvious maintenance issues:

“I can’t see out the window.”

The years of dirt on the glass may have made visibility a challenge, but the Pontiac was ready to move. Cliff eased it down the hill away from the garage while the rest of the crew watched. Someone even pointed out that all of the tail lights were working—not a bad discovery on a 54-year-old car.

The best moment may have come at the bottom of the hill. Cliff gave the Catalina’s horn a honk. At the same time, Lillian was moving our Volkswagen Routan into the garage so we could change its transmission fluid. She answered with a honk of her own.

Just a normal evening at Rolling Start.

A Different Kind of Vehicle Donation

The Catalina probably won’t become one of the vehicles we give directly to a family. Instead, we’re planning to clean it up, evaluate what we have, and most likely offer it for sale.

That’s still a valuable donation to Rolling Start.

The money raised from selling a vehicle like this can help us buy parts, tires, batteries, fluids, and other supplies for the vehicles that we do prepare for local individuals and families who need reliable transportation.

In fact, the Routan you see briefly in the video is a good example of exactly that work. While Cliff was taking the Catalina down the hill, Lillian was bringing the Routan into the shop so we could change its transmission fluid and continue preparing it for a family in need.

One donated vehicle can help make another vehicle possible.

Watch the Catalina Come Back to Life

This van will soon be given to a local family in need of dependable transportation. Before that happens, our volunteers and staff are working through the vehicle to make sure it is safe, reliable, and ready to get back on the road.

For many of the families we serve, a vehicle is much more than a convenient way to get around. Reliable transportation can mean being able to get to work, take children to school, make medical appointments, buy groceries, and handle all the everyday things that are difficult—or sometimes impossible—without a car.

That’s where Rolling Start comes in.

We rely on donated vehicles and the support of people in our community to make this work possible. Some donated vehicles need only a little attention before they can be placed with a family. Others require considerably more work. Either way, every vehicle we can put back on the road has the potential to make a real difference in someone’s life.

You Can Help Keep Us Rolling

There are several ways you can be part of what we do:

• Donate a vehicle. A car, truck, van, or SUV you no longer need may be exactly what a local family needs. Even vehicles that need repairs may be useful to our program.
• Donate your time. Volunteers help us with vehicle repairs and maintenance as well as many of the other jobs that keep Rolling Start operating.
• Make a financial contribution. Parts, fluids, tires, batteries, towing, and other expenses add up. Financial donations help us turn donated vehicles into safe, dependable transportation.

Every donation—whether it is a vehicle, a few hours in the shop, or financial support—helps us get another family closer to reliable transportation.

Want to help? Donate a vehicle, volunteer your time, make a financial contribution—or just come see what we do. Stop by the Rolling Start shop on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 p.m. at 244 Weldon Hall Road in Sylva, NC. Meet the people behind Rolling Start, see the work happening in the shop, and find out how you can help us get more families on the road.

Representing The Church of the Good Shepherd's Outreach Program, David Jones presents RSNC CEO Cliff Faull with a check that will go towards refurbishing three vehicles. Thank you so much for your support!