8 years ago, I had a car accident where my my car was totaled. I was shook to the core and I searched everywhere for a car that would make me feel like I was in bubble wrap.
I finally found a car that I was in love with. There it was....."Mitsu" my Mitsubishi Outlander! The search was over and Mitsu was all mine! Mitsu was the first car I ever owned.
So, now that you know my "relationship" with Mitsu, let's fast forward to around March, 2020 during the pandemic when the Coronavirus hit and we were in quarantine. Most days during quarantine, I would look out the window at poor Mitsu. There were days that I was so depressed that I didn't even want to turn Mitsu on and go for a spin around the block or lift my spirits with a drive along the beach. Mitsu was already giving me a bit of trouble here and there and was not as reliable as I needed it to be.
At that point, I was already feeling depressed and hopeless for so many reasons, that I needed to do something to help others or give back and contribute in some way. I couldn't volunteer or do anything in person. I was helping in other ways with signing petitions, emailing, donating a few dollars here and there.
There are so many places that need help, so when I decided I was going to donate Mitsu, I knew that I wanted to make a contribution to the autistic community. Autism is close to my heart so I researched online where I could donate my car.
I had emailed a lovely woman named, Ellen at Autism New Jersey who told me that Autism New Jersey unfortunately did not have a partnership with a service that allows them to accept car donations but, she had personally donated her car to The Arc of the United States to benefit The Arc of Union County (where her brother receives services from them). She told me the process was very easy.
I went on The Arc of New Jersey's website to learn more about who they are and what they do. Their mission statement read:
"The Arc of New Jersey promotes and protects the human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes; and is committed to enhancing the quality of life of those individuals and their families through advocacy, empowerment, education and prevention."
About a month later, I received a letter in the mail from The Arc of New Jersey and was happy to hear that Mitsu had found a home and the money made from the purchase will go to support many wonderful programs such as:
To learn more or find a chapter of The Arc in your state and town, visit their website here .