Dreams do come true, at least that is what Edwardsville resident Regeana Canada says.
Canada got a surprise on Feb. 27 when she received a free car from an anonymous donor.
Head Start Family Services employee Kym Brown said Canada was supposed to get a car through a program this past holiday seaso...

An Introduction to Car Donation ProgramsThere are hundreds of car donation programs on the Internet. However, you should check out these programs carefully with the assistance of the better business bureau before signing over the title to any vehicle. Unfortunately, there are some companies that ste...

Introduction

Donate your car, truck, RV, boat or other vehicle to Volunteers of America, a national nonprofit, spiritually based organization providing human service programs in your community.


For more than 109 years, Volunteers of America’s programs have helped abused children, youth at risk, the frail elderly, the disabled, the homeless, families and many others. Each year, nearly 1.8 million people feel the helping hands of Volunteers of America.


General Information


Donating Your Vehicle Just Makes Sense


By donating your car, truck, boat, or RV to Volunteers of America’s Vehicle Donation Program:


* You may receive greater value for your vehicle as a charitable contribution on your itemized tax return.


* You’ll be spared the ordeal of selling your vehicle.


* You’ll make a valuable contribution to help people in need in your community

Read more »

Investigators arrested a father and son recently on suspicion of scamming hundreds, maybe as many as a thousand people who thought they were donating old cars to charity.


California sheriff's officials said the two men advertised that the donated cars would be sold to benefit an organization called Stamp Out Child Abuse, and the donor would get a tax deduction.


No such charity is registered in the state, said sheriff's spokesman Chris Saunders. He said the men are suspected of pocketing the money after selling the cars at auction.


Saunders said an area resident who donated a car later felt uneasy about the transaction and called the Encinitas sheriff's station. Sheriff's auto theft Detective Jeff Maxin, worked with the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, the IRS, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Franchise Tax Board to investigate and found additional victims.


Agents arrested James Thayne, 74, and his son Jason, 25, on suspicion of grand theft and criminal conspiracy. They were being held in jail last night on $250,000 bail.


Saunders said a search of their home turned up records suggesting they had bilked hundreds, possibly 1,000 victims, and were getting ready to move to Utah.

Thanks to Michael from Car Donation Expert for the following:


There's something else related to car donation I'd like to point out: The charity you wish to support has to be a section 501 (3) (c) organization to qualify you to a car donation deduction tax.


Charities are educational, religious and charitable non-profit organizations. If the organization you want to donate your vehicle to is not a charity in the eyes of the IRS, you can't get a car donation deduction tax.


All legal charities are listed in the IRS Publication 78 called 'Cumulative list of Organizations' or on www.irs.gov/eo.


Even if you qualify for a car donation deduction tax, your deduction can not be larger than 50% of your adjusted gross income. There are a few other interesting things related to charitable car donations on a website called Car Donation Expert - you might want to check it out.