Gracelyn McDermott, executive director for account management, and Jeffrey Tonic, a Kaiser Permanente sales executive, had the honor to participate in a ceremony last month for Vehicles for Change (VFC), a non-profit organization that empowers families struggling with financial challenges to achieve economic and personal independence through car ownership. VFC has been a Kaiser Permanente employer group since 2013.
Two previously donated vehicles were awarded to individuals chosen last week through nominations by local social service agencies. The donated vehicles had been repaired by trainees of VFC’s Full Circle Auto repair and Training Center (FC) technical program. FC trains individuals from a variety of low-income backgrounds in automotive services. Participants gain hands-on experience through the Full Circle Service Center, VFC’s automotive service center that is open to the public. The facility, located just down the road from our South Baltimore Medical Center is at 4111 Washington Blvd in Halethorpe, MD, and is currently offering all KP employees a FREE (standard) oil change to all first-time customers.
Keith Montgomery, executive director of Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Total Health, had his brake pads replaced during the ceremony. “I could not have been more pleased with both the service and the chance to support a local charity that is not only repairing cars, but providing low-cost vehicles to local residents that will dramatically change lives,” said Montgomery. Of the two vehicles given away that day, one went to an individual in the construction trades where you are not employable unless you have your own vehicle and another to a single mother who needed transportation to accept a job transfer.
If you would like more information on how you can support this charity or information on the oil change special, please contact VFC at 855-820-7990. Besides repairs and maintenance, VFC also offers car detailing services while you work at the nearby facility.
