First Annual Wheels to Work Car Care Festival is Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Petro's GM Showplace, Ind. 15, Warsaw.

The "festival" is designed to increase public awareness about the benefits of good vehicle maintenance and repair for safer, cleaner and better performing vehicles. Plus, the festival will help make the community more aware of Combined Community Service's Wheels to Work Program.

Ron Wright, director of CCS' Wheels to Work Program, said the program relies on people donating their cars to CCS to provide to Wheels to Work clients. For the clients to use the cars, they must be well cared for, and this festival will help people learn how to better take care of their vehicles.

Qualified mechanics will inspect all vehicles at the event - including wipers, lights, belts and hoses, fluids, battery, coolant and tires. Vehicles also will receive a free vacuuming, car wash and wax.

There will be booths at the festival from different automotive vendors, as well as food booths, including Papa John's and Sweet Dreams.

The "centerpieces" of the festival are the inspection lanes. Currently, there are four lanes being sponsored, but Wright said he is looking for four more sponsors for four more lanes. Sponsors include Petro's GM Showplace, Monteith Tire Co., AB & Tom's Autocare and Midas Auto Service Experts.

Wright said he hopes 250 to 300 vehicles will be inspected Oct. 18.

Also contributing to the event, Schrader's Auto Parts provided some financial support and Lake City Bank is sponsoring WRSW's live broadcast.

The local police department and Multi-Township EMS will have representatives there to educate the public about seat belt, restraint and child seat safety.

There is no cost to people for the inspection of their vehicles. As people leave, however, they will be asked for a small monetary donation for the Wheels to Work Program, but is not required.

CCS' Wheels to Work Program has had 145 vehicles donated in its first three years. Of the 145 vehicles, approximately 64 cars were sold for cash, 26 were junked and the program put 49 people into vehicles, Wright said.

He said they have a waiting list of five people, but there are no program vehicles available at this time.

To qualify for the program, a person has to be a Kosciusko County resident, have a valid Indiana driver's license, be at or below 150 percent of the national federal poverty guidelines, have to have a cash stream to support ownership of a vehicle and have their income documented for six months.

Wright said 158 applications were given out this year and only 22 applications were returned.

"I find a lot of people are wanting something but they don't want to go through the process to get it," he said. Those who do go through the process, he said, are usually those who need it most.

Vehicles are not provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Rather, Wright said, a vehicle is provided based on a client's needs. A mother of four will not get a compact car because it would not suit her needs; she would be provided with a station wagon or van once one became available. On the other hand, a couple on Social Security would more likely be placed with a smaller vehicle.

This year, the program has had 36 vehicles donated but had to junk half of them. So far, Wright said, the program is running a deficit - that's one reason CCS needed to start the Car Care Festival.

Sponsors still are needed.

For more information, contact Wright at CCS at 269-6019, Ext. 29. [[In-content Ad]]