I would like to get some feedback from the community here. I know for myself and just about every person on here that cars have had a huge impact on our lives. For me personally, I started building cars at 10 years old and the life lessons that I gained are priceless. For years I have considered starting a non-profit "club" or organization for under privileged kids that gives them a safe place to go and do something productive. I've thrown the idea around town and have gotten mixed responses but I cant see any downfalls. In my opinion there are way too many kids in high crime environments that are not ever given the opportunity to "safely" do something that they love. All kids love cars, especially old ones. Mainly I wanted to see if anyone knows of any similar organizations. Also, I have a car to donate (my 48 chevy), and a shop space donated from a church but does anyone have any ideas of how to get parts or materials from cheaper sources. The main idea is to give the kids a safe place to learn skills that will set them up for the future while providing a sense of accomplishment. I know there is allot involved. Feedback, ideas and criticism is welcome. Thanks.
you need to hold a soap box derby race!!! the kits start with a put it together and run it (stock) 7 yrs old and up the (super stock) kit allows them to learn to paint the (masters) kit allows them to learn to work with fiberglass and body filler and paint follow my signature to the derby assocation for more info! good luck!!!
The Soap Box Derby just might be the best route,,it would probably be easier to get the community and civic leaders more inclined interested to support,,I know it's in a different direction than you were thinking. TSBD has a long history and is not as huge as it once was but timing is everything,,personally I think it's time that a lot of smaller towns and big city's look to the past,,this was/is a great way to capture a kids interest. HRP
I was not forunate enough to live where derbys were available. I agree it would be a great idea to see about getting something like that in a community. I was a Scoutleader for 14 years and noticed we were losing a lot of boys once they started driving. I approached our local council about starting an Explorer group or something similar where the boys would build a car for the group to use in parades, car shows , etc. to promote scouting. I had people wanting to donate time, money, materials and even a 46 Ford coupe. The district exec and council leadership wouldn't even consider anything that placed the boys in danger (their words, not mine). It was OK for them to ride with police officers or assist the local firefighters working around their equipment (Explorer Post) but too dangerous to work in a shop under adult supervision. I didn't reaffiliate with the scouts when I came back from Iraq in 2006.
Same here but in this day and time it just might be a shot in the arm for some of the smaller towns that really don't have much to offer it's youth. HRP
There is a group here in MN that are starting a similar deal. I can't remember the user name though. The problem with being Non-profit is that you need a board. All those people need to share the same idea as you, and have the same mission. It's a bit of work, but it would be worth it if you had a good core group. Doing it on your own might be a lot to handle. I should also add, when youth and underage kids are involved, things get a bit more sketchy. Insurance is higher in a situation with mechanics. You also have to make sure to background check potential volunteers. You don't want to have some 'toucher' hanging out around children. I ran a non-profit bike shop for six years. We were non profit (I paid for most of the shit on my own) off the books for most of the time. Making it "legal" took all the fun out of it.
The local group in MN that Beau is referring to is at http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=758237
You have very good intentions. However, there are several problems with this plan: 1) Most kids aren't interested in older cars. Even if they are, which they aren't, is exposing kids to these types of cars in their best interests in terms of meaningfulness and future employment prospects? (remember the kids are already disadvantaged) In terms of cars, i feel it would be better to expose/train them on more current technology. For example, but not limited to: FWD, EFI etc. It would most probably be more useful to teach the children welding, bricklaying, or electrician training as examples. You could still be non-profit, accepting donations for equipment, supplies and teacher and administrator salaries. 2) Alternate plans for "non-profit car club for kids:" If you still insist on being a non-profit with cars, then instead i would suggest: a) Build hot rods and then raffle or sell them off---the proceeds will then be given to disadvantaged kids. The time, space, parts, materials and actual cars will be funded thru donations. You get to do something you love, get paid well for it, and the kids benefit too with money. So all goals are achieved here.
Great ideas guys! This is the input I needed, right now its really just a pipe dream, I really like the soap box derby idea. The intent was not so much to give them a skill such as EFI, more or less give them a safe place to do something cool. I'm not sure how many kids would actually care about old cars. I've been throwing the idea around town with mixed reactions but maybe something like the soap box would be a more fun and cheaper foot in the door. Thanks guys, I'll keep you posted as to where it goes from here.
call the derby office in ohio they can put you in touch with people that can help you get started and they cover the insurance for the race for about $25,000.00 you could put out a field of 22 cars with a money left over for prizes such as college bonds like my daughter got when she won our local race a $500.00 dollar bond will buy a couple of books when she hits college or help them get a start when they finnish high school look up the houston soap box association or culpeper virginia for ideas as for youth protection from pedophiles even the Boy Scouts of America will tell you even they have a few that slip through the cracks but remember these are childern ! a priceless resource! call upon the church and other community leaders for help (vetting ) volunteers good luck ! P.S. I checked with Ryan and derby cars are traditional and Hamb approved (hell ) challenge the local car clubs to build a kit car and get a kid to race it and possibly make it to the world championships in Ohio!
The root problem is that simply "giving kids something to do in a safe place" isn't good enough: Just giving kids(especially boys) something to do that isn't meaningful is wanking; If a kid is taught useful skills, i.e., welding, and realizes he can earn $20+ dollars per hour, he is much less likely to sell drugs. i don't think working on old (and i would define old as stuff before say 63) is really going to teach a lot of useful, viable skills. What they need is something like an 2005 toyota avalon---be able to diagnoise and fix anything/everything on the car. But even then, i don't think maybe but 15% would be into auto mechanics. What i would instead do is concentrate on marketing older cars/hot rods etc. and use the proceeds to fund the "drop in center" where kids could learn useful skills vs. just giving them something to do in a safe environment. This would all still be non-profit; You would solicit donations to fund parts, chassis, labor, facilities, tools, etc. Then auction/raffle, sell the cars for massive profit. The original plan has good intent, but ultimately falls short of the goal; Ok, let's say on the slim chance a kid does get good at fixing a small block chevy or customizing 1948 fenders. How marketable is this when dealers and independent shops rarely see this stuff? What the kiddies need is to able to do brake jobs/cv axles, struts etc. on a fwd car and to able to diagnose OBD 2 systems fluently. They also need other options because not every kid is into cars these days. Suggest, welding, plumbing, heating and A/C as just some fields they can get into that pay well without too much training. Academic tutoring alone would be a good thing.
P.S.: 3) i guess what i'm trying to say is that if you are going to do this plan, then the 48 isn't a good idea. You need to do it with cars that are current technology. Now, here's where it works out good; If/when someone donates car to you AND the car is put to actual use by your organization---and it is because you are using it to teach kids (and possibly yourself) how to fix them, then the donator gets to write off the full blue book/or normal value of the car. If the car was merely donated to a charity and the charity sells the car for it's own proceeds, then the donator can only write off the actual amount that the car was sold for. This is a new law. And this is something that can go in your favor as in more people would be more likely to want to donate to YOUR charity. So, it should be easy to get a steady flow of newer cars. b) The next question is how are you and the rest of the staff going to be compensated? If a charity sells a car that was put into actual use and then they sell it, does the donator still get full write off? Is there a set amount of time for which this can apply. If yes, then that is part of your answer.
the problem today is that kids do not have the basic skill set we had 40/50 years ago the idea of under privileged kid going out to the garage that lives in an apartment building is a mystery! (stock) class derby cars are simple to assemble and teach basic skills to kids how to use a screw driver, square,allen wrench and a torque wrench the (super stock) class introduces them to a paintable body a 12 / 16 year old could learn the basic skills needed to get hired as a painters helper and last time I herd from my old high school buddy in california he was still makin a hundred grand a year painting cars pow mia has a great idea (get kids off the street/couch) and out into the garage ! last time I checked you still crawled before you walked here are couple pics of my daughter at 9 years old learning by 11 she could read and use a dial indicator and a micrometer to check her axels
It cost $25,000 bucks to get a soap box derby set up?,,sorry but I can see why they have vanished from small towns,,I had no idea. HRP
if you are starting with NOTHING, yes it could take that much 22 car kits and wheels + shipping will eat up 13 grand of it but the cars can be re used year to year you will need some sort of starting ramp,timers, return trailers a scale,extra balast weight that would also be reused year to year the idea is to keep re using the cars and re build / repair them year to year I think of it as great advertising chevrolet does not realize what they lost when they quit as the major sponsor untill 1973 all car kits were sold at chevrolet dealers talk about teaching brand recognition at a young age and Like I added give the kids Prizes when you hold the annual race to see who gets to go to Akron college bonds /new bikes/Trophys!
i feel soap-box derby may be too limiting, simplistic and thus ultimately not useful in the long run. The bottom line is, how are the kids (remember, the kids in question are disadvantaged, not living in normal household environments) going to benefit from this long term?
powmia; You've got a noble and generous idea going here. Going on the crawl/walk/run concept, starting small may be a good idea for all concerned. You don't need to reach "all" the kids around, just that perhaps relative few kids that are turned on by old cars. Teaching them to rebuild a carb, or install a set of brake linings or adjust the timing on that 48 will build their self-confidence. Helping them learn why these things need to be done will help them develop the critical thinking needed to diagnose and resolve other issues. Anyone that's built a hotrod or restored an old car knows there's an almost endless list of learning opportunities. You don't have to worry about selling the first car, you could always use it as a tool and let the next group take it apart and figure out what the last group did and why, and then put it back together again. Is any of that going to get the kids a job at the local hotrod shop or new car garage next week? Probably not. But neither is teaching them how to plug in a diagnostic tool on a late model Honda. What it could get them is the respect of members of the local collector car community. Just like members of the H.A.M.B. those members come from all kinds of industries, not just the car world. Some of them are in postions that allow them to hire or influence hiring and they might well be inclined to give a young person a chance at a job in their field when the right time and opportunity comes along because the kids demonstrated the interest and willingness to do what it takes to learn some of the skills needed in the old car hobby. Teach a 14 year old to rebuild a carb and how to talk about the process and take him to a car show and watch how car owners light up taliking to the kid about the carb and more on their car. Another learning and confidence building experience! Sounds like fun to me.
are there any tech schools close? if so ,aproach them with ideas. I teach and am open to any thing positive to motovate kids. As far as some that have sugested kids are not interested in old cars I strongly disagree. I took 45 students to the world of wheels last year and they loved it , this year we are taking over 80. Curently we are restoring a model t rpu and building a droped 49 gmc.
dont listen to the haters! theyre probably the same people who wonder why young people are not comong to shows yet complane about tuner cars and S10s Another option mey be thru the boy scouts ,they have merit badges for auto mechanics and welding.
i'm not "hating;" There is good intent behind the motives. But the plan, as is, ultimately fails to achieve good results.
oops I forgot about the merit badge aspect you will have to register with the BSA to be a merit badge consuler we have a explorer post at the gm tech center here in detroit that builds show cars once a agin the crawl before you walk aspect applys but I guess if we cant do it (c-10simplex's )way we should not do anything at all
Send off for the information on the soap box derby,,at least you will have something to look at and think about. The initial start up cost is staggering but maybe some small steps if nothing more than buying one or two kits to give the kids something to build. I also think that possibly contact a few local car clubs and hawk your ideas with them,,where there is a will there is a way. HRP
i'm not saying soap box is not a good thing---for regular kids. But we are dealing with disadvantaged kids here. They need things that are really going to help them long-term. i don't see how/where soap box can do that for them?
I'm not push SBD,,but kids that are underprivileged will jump at a chance to do anything they are not exposed to in their daily life. Encouraging self worth and teaching them how to work together to accomplish a common goal goes a long way in the long term. BTW,I'm sure there are many members here that grew up in similar circumstances,,I know i did. HRP
i agree that all kids---both normal and disadvantaged will jump at the chance to do anything they are not exposed to in daily life. However: a) The long term effect of this for underprivileged kids is wanking. It's sort of ok for normal kids to do "somewhat frivolous" activities---they can "afford" it time-wise. It's ok for normal kids to wank, it's not ok for underprivileged kids to wank. After "somewhat frivolous" activity, normal kids go back to being normal, being raised in nurturing environments---which itself is an advantage. Disadvantaged kids go back to low-self-esteem, dis-pare, broken homes and just all sorts of funk associated with that kind of unfortunate lifestyle; That kind of negative environment can lead to negative thinking, which unfortunately, can lead to negative actions---crime, prostitution, selling drugs, repeating the cycle of having 6 kids with 7 different women, alcoholism etc. They need every advantage they can get. i believe in-depth training can help a person break out of negative backgrounds. Their situation isn't normal, so they shouldn't be treated like normal kids.
I have read some of your other comments and they are well thought out and make sense. However this one gets me. I dont want to go off on a tangent. I dont want to start a pissing match and get the thread closed. I believe it has merit and value. But just saying to cancel doesnt make sense. How will he figure out what to do and what not to do without continuing to ask questions and put out ideas. I think it would be best to continue the conversations so that way a solid plan can actually be formed.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> <o> </o> Now are there any local churches or childrens clubs, other groups that you might be able to work with. If there is another organization established you may have better results as there will already be a basis for help and outreach to the community there. <o></o> <o> </o> In my undergrad I had a class that was 1 entire project. We worked with an organization helping kids in under privileged families get healthy snacks for evenings and weekends. The biggest thing that got us going was the support. We got support from local radio, TV, printers, etc. we had to keep at it to get the help. We had to talk to several people before we found ones that would help. <o></o> <o> </o> If you need sheet metal, it easier to ask for a donation of say 1 piece then it is to get a lot. As you find people/companies/organizations that are willing to help, I would say dont ask for too much, just a little bit. When you get something going be sure to give recognition to those that helped. Banners, flyers, whatnot. It will be important for the community it to know who helped.
c-10s last post has got to be the dumbest thihg I ever read. I work with disadvantaged kids every day. Any positive influence or experience is extremly important. Any project that teaches skills with tools, problem solvivg, reading blueprints, aplied math, working with a team, using their hands, ect..will stick with them their entire life.
I gotta agree,I started to reply earlier but thought better of what I was going to say,,I will point out that station in life doesn't predetermine whether you will be a drug addict or a prostitute. In fact kids of privilege are just as apt to make decisions that have dire consequences. The real shame is this thread has went 180 degrees off target,,I for one apologize for my throwing fuel on the fire. HRP
I dunno, there are a number of positive comments in this thread that powmia can consider while trying to figure out how to reach his pretty admirable goal. I just hope we haven't scared powmia off the thread. I'm pretty much with anthony myrick when he says Sorting out the practical and possible from the options is probably the toughest part to begin with. I wish powmia well in this.
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