If you want to use your car to make the world a better place, we want to help! There are a variety of ways you can help your community from behind the wheel. Some of our favorite methods are listed below, and we hope that one of them sparks a shift in your life, even if it’s through a different cause.
Reduce Your Car’s Footprint
There are simple ways that you can use your existing car to help reduce its impact. If you commute to work, carpooling is a good option with coworkers who live nearby. There are Park and Ride lots all over the Austin area that allow you to rely on public transportation as well as your own car. Combine errand trips so that you can get more done with less mileage. Keep up with simple maintenance on your car, as well, to keep oxygen sensors and overall efficiency up and running.
Become a Volunteer for your Local School District
Volunteers play a vital role in our schools’ on-campus and remote learning experiences. And sharing just a few hours a week can have a meaningful impact on a school or a child. Log a few miles to chaperone a field trip, deliver supplies for a campus event, or meet up with a student for tutoring. You’ll help steer Austin children to a brighter future.
Drive a Senior
The Drive a Senior organization connects volunteer drivers with seniors who need help running their errands, visiting their doctors, or participating in social activities. If you want to volunteer some of your time and mileage to help a new friend maintain some of their life’s independence, Drive a Senior makes it easy to figure out the who, what, when, where, and how.
Car Donation
When you’re ready to move on from your car, and you’re not sure if you want to sell it, trade it in, or sell it for parts, one option that many people consider is donating it to organizations such as KUT, Make-A-Wish, or Habitat for Humanity, just to name a few. In addition to knowing that you’re enabling a much-needed lifestyle improvement for someone, you also don’t have to figure out how to get the car to its new home, as you can ask to have the car picked up. You can also ask the organization about claiming the donation on your taxes.
The important thing when volunteering is to find a cause that you care about so that you can feel empowered and connected while serving. If you’re looking for a way for you and your car to give back to your community, we hope you find a way to drive it forward.
Looking for a car that can help make life easier? Apply for your auto loan today at UFCU.org/MyRide.
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